#sin-n-cityfics

[sin-n-city]

Ignited: Glow

Ignited Chapter 4: Glow

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating: M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Word Count: 3,888

Summary: AU superpowers. The lights has been there for as long as Dan can remember. It’s apart of him and he can’t help but love the light. But sometimes the burning and itching under his skin won’t leave until it shines bright and illuminates the sky.

Dan’s life changes forever when he is trust into a world of magic and mystery inside the walls of the Nova Institute for the Exceptionally Gifted and Talented. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Notes:  Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I’ve been so busy, however I have a few chapters done now, so it shouldn’t happen again. Also a quick shout out to all the kind words I’ve received and encouragement. I’m flattered you have enjoyed the story so far!

Link to Chapter 1: Lumos

Link to chapter 3: Transpire

“The first Nova Revolution occurred in 1957, when whom we call the Darkness was defeated and taken down from power…”

School is just as boring as it’s always been. There’s no new excitement for Dan, even with his new history lessons about the Nova Generation and the world he’s suddenly found himself a part of. And okay, maybe it is a little more interesting because it’s sort of like the stuff you read in comics. Only without being able to put the book away when you want. So just as it was back in his old school, Dan finds himself with his face pressed into his palm as he tries to ignore the pouty looks Phil Lester is sending him from across the room.

Next to him, Chris is arching an eyebrow at the both of them as if he doesn’t understand what in the world is going on.

Dan doesn’t really either, to be fair. Phil looks so wounded, and it’s kind of ridiculous considering Dan spent the entire weekend discovering that Phil was, in fact, friends with literally everyone in the school, so it didn’t make sense as to why he was having such a problem with Dan not wanting to be his friend as well.

It had all started that weekend, after Dan’s first awkward Friday night and the resulting morning after in which he’d hoped and prayed that Phil hadn’t seen anything incriminating the night before.

Phil had woken up long before Dan, obvious by the time and the fact that he wasn’t in their bedroom when Dan finally managed to crawl out from under his duvet. For a moment, Dan had thought he was completely alone in their dorm room, but the moment he’d left the bedroom, he’d found that wasn’t true.

In fact, it turned out Phil had been waiting for him to wake up. Smiling immediately at Dan, Phil had stood up and asked if he’d like a tour of the school. For his part, Dan had turned him down, and the smile on Phil’s face had wilted so fast, Dan had escaped to the bathroom to hide away from the sadness decorating the corners of his eyes.

It had gone on like that all weekend. Dan had spent both days hiding away from his dorm room until late at night, when curfew had hit and he no longer had any excuse to be away from Phil. By that time, Phil usually appeared to be long asleep, which always helped Dan to relax, but come Sunday morning, Phil had once again offered to hang out with Dan until Dan refused.

He spent most of his time in library when wandering the school merely produced comments from the other students informing Dan that Phil was looking for him. No one bothered him in the library, though, and it was honestly his only true safe haven. That’s how he’d discovered that at the very least, Phil knew everyone in this God forsaken school, and it was why he was currently irritated.

All that time spent in the library probably explained why Dan was so bored in history this morning, though. He’d done a lot of reading on the history of the Nova Generation in the hopes of understanding better what he was a part of. No, he knows most of what his teacher is currently talking about, if not in as much detail, but he hardly cares to hear about the battle plans and strategies that had been used to destroy the Darkness as they called him.

Dan sighs, glancing quickly to his right to find Phil still pouting at him.

It just doesn’t make sense to him. Why does it bother Phil so much if Dan doesn’t want to spend time with him? They’re just roommates after all. Dan doesn’t owe him anything.

That morning, Phil had gotten Dan up in time for school, but rather than leaving Dan to his own devices, he’d insisted on showing Dan to his classes all day. They shared the majority of them together, and Phil had explained that he was meant to be a kind of mentor to Dan, not that Dan wanted him to be. He was meant to show Dan around all week, but Dan is determined to put a stop to it tomorrow.

He can’t really complain about it today. After all, if it wasn’t for Phil, Dan knows he would have been at least fifteen minutes late to each and every one of his lessons.

“Dude. What did you do to Lester? I swear I’ve never seen him look that way,” Chris suddenly whispers to Dan in a lull in their new teacher’s lecture, craning his neck sideways to whisper in Dan’s ear. Dan turns to stare at him, and shrugs his shoulders slowly.

“You’ve known him for, like, four days,” he replies, shrugging a second time just for good measure. “I don’t know.”

Chris shrugs himself in reply, and Dan has never been so grateful to know him. He’s obviously not going to pry. At the same time, Dan can’t help but wonder when Chris got so familiar with Phil’s facial expressions when he’s just as new as to this school as Dan.

Probably made good friends with Chris as well, then, Dan thinks bitterly.

“So, where have you been all weekend anyway?” Chris asks in the next lull, eyes wide and curious.

Dan shrugs again. “Dunno. Just been in the library, I guess.”

Chris nods like he understands. “It’s all a bit confusing, isn’t it?”

Dan nods in agreement, and they fall quiet again. Dan can still feel Phil’s gaze burning into the side of his face, but he refuses to look his way. He still doesn’t understand what the boys problem is, and he honestly doesn’t feel like he’s done anything wrong. Chris is humming quietly next to him, a tune strangely perfect in pitch, but Dan supposes he shouldn’t be surprised when he knows what Chris’ power is.

Class is finally nearing it’s end, and Dan thinks he’s finally going to be able to escape the weight of Phil’s gaze and any more inquires from Chris when they finally move on to their first practicals class, but then someone prods him in the back.

Dan turns his head. PJ, Chris’ attractive roommate, is staring at him in concern. Dan’s so busy staring - because he finally understands all of Chris’ moaning about how cute PJ is, with his curly brown hair and ridiculously bright green eyes - that he doesn’t register what PJ has said until PJ prods at him again.

“Did something happen with Phil?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Dan finally replies, gnawing at his bottom lip. Through the few times Dan has hung out with Chris this weekend and has only spoken to PJ a total of two times, both of which were overtly brief. And so far, he seems as overly friendly as Chris and Phil are. He knows that Phil and PJ are close. They used to room with each other last year, and they were supposed to have their own rooms this year until Dan and Chris showed up, but it makes Dan nervous talking to him.

Two attractive male best friends, one of which Dan has clearly upset. Some part of him has a difficult time believing the two aren’t together, and he’s terrified of getting on PJ’s bad side even when he has no idea what he’s actually done wrong.

Not everyone is as gay as you and Chris are, he has to remind himself, shaking the fear away.

And then, PJ opens his mouth to something mortifying. He seems to have a concerned tone, even though they have not really had much of a chance to speak, let alone get to know each other. “Phil’s been pouting at you all afternoon. Did something happen?”

“Yeah, PJ and Phil have been showing me around campus all weekend, and every time PJ and I bring you up, he looks kind of sad. Are you already not getting along with your new roommate?” Chris chimes in, and he’s staring almost as intently at Dan as Phil and PJ are.

He goes stiff. These were the exact kind of questions he’d been hoping to avoid, had nearly managed to avoid if PJ hadn’t prompted Chris to jump in with questions of his own.

“No, it’s not that,” Dan says, shrugging and pretending to play if off as something that doesn’t matter.

Besides, it’s not as that they aren’t getting along, because Dan genuinely thinks that maybe, maybe if he gave Phil a shot, they would actually be great friends. Then there's the fact that he’s overly fucking attractive, amazingly nice- a little too nice in Dan's opinion- is friends with absolutely freaking everyone, and can obviously control his abilities. All of which Dan can’t.

“Then what is it?”

Dan takes a moment to exhale through his nose.

“Complicated.”

He doesn't even need to look at PJ and Chris to know they are making a somewhat questionable (even concerned) face at him.

He shrugs it off again, though, because there’s really no point in having this conversation at all. Phil’s upset because Dan doesn’t want to be sociable, that’s all there is to it, and Dan has no plans to change. It’s always been that way, why should he change it now?

The bell goes minutes later, and Dan hightails it out of class. He can hear PJ and Chris shouting after him, reminding him not to miss Practicals, and that they could all walk together if he wants.

Dan doesn’t want. He just wants to get away, pretend that he hasn’t already offended the one person so far he thinks he could actually like, and fade back into the background of everyday life.

--

By some miracle, Phil decides not to try and follow Dan. Neither do Chris or PJ, and Dan finds himself once again alone in his dorm room, blissfully spread out against his duvet. His first Practicals start in twenty minutes, and he doesn’t even know how to get there, but he’s desperate for even just a second alone. His powers have been itching at the palms of his hands all day, and it hasn’t helped that his teachers have introduced him and Chris as new students all day. Dan hasn’t had a second of peace, between his classmates and Phil, and all he really wants is to calm down.

Because it doesn’t matter what their teachers have told them about the safety of the practicals rooms, Dan is terrified that if they force him to use his powers, he’s going to hurt someone, especially if he’s already began to lose some semblance of control.

He’s overwhelmed, terrified of what he can do, and he knows his next lesson is only going to exasperate the problem.

Dan’s fingers are twitching against his duvet as he stares blankly above him, taking in the strange patterns and shapes on the ceiling above him. There are water and dirt stains hideous against the beige of the walls, but Dan can’t help wondering where they came from, and who had this room before him and Phil.

Before he can stop himself, he’s reaching up with hands engulfed in light in some vain attempt to read into the walls, despite the fact that touching them will tell him nothing, nor is he quite tall enough in this prone position to come even close to touching the walls.

Dan sighs as the movement makes him suddenly aware of the bright power he holds in his hands, and he turns his hands and his attention back to his fingers and the glow surrounding them to wonder about his powers.

“Those are burn marks,” a voice suddenly calls, and Dan immediately drops his hands to the bedspread underneath him, fully expecting to find burn marks in his duvet later that night, except when he sits up to take in Phil’s form before him, he glances down and realizes his power has fizzled out.

“What?” Dan asks, confused.

Phil nods up at the ceiling of their room.

“The stains on the roof. I was curious, and I - well, I can see memories, through touch. Sometimes, the residue left behind by someone’s past can show me the same thing too,” Phil explains quietly, watching Dan like he’s the frightened animal he is. “I saw you looking. Thought you might be wondering too. The person who had this room before us, sometime probably long before us, well...he lost control. Almost set fire to the room, if it hadn’t been for his partner. They put it out. All that’s left are those stains on the roof.”

“So your abilities, they’re like, mind related? Something not physical?”

As of yet, and apart from his teachers, Dan hasn't been able to meet anyone with mental abilities. According to his history books, they are a lot rarer than those with physical abilities. Something about how the geno develops and mutates.

“Yeah, except it's mostly activated by touch. I can't really read anyone's mind or see things without some sort of physical influence. My tutor thinks I'm a little bit of both. He hopes one day that I’ll be able to just recall a person's memories through thought. But I don't know, I’m not really sure I want that.”

Curious, Dan questions. “How come?”

Phil gives a small smile, something different to what Dan has seen before. Something more personal. He looks at his hands as he speaks, trailing them with his eyes.

“It's a little more, real, I suppose. Something more personal. A memory belongs to someone. It's something personal that they experience. It only seems just, to be able to experience the emotion, the feeling that they went through what they saw, with them. As invasive as the experience is, there's something about physical touch that just makes it...fit.”

Dan doesn't realise he’s smiling back at Phil until after he finishes taking. Its contiguous, the soft pull at the corner of his lips.

“Does that happen every time you touch something?”

Phil, thankfully, shakes his head. “Not always. It was bad for a while, before I came here. Mostly during early teenhood. My abilities were practically out of control then. Any type of touching set them off, sometimes objects that had no real story did too. But the academy found me, and it's a lot better. Sometimes things with strong triggers will bring something up, but most of the time it's under control.”

“How long did it take you to gain control?”

Phil looks like he's pondering something, eyes shifting towards the blank wall beside them in thought. “A while, actually. Kind of almost up until now. Rarely I will slip up. It varies really. Sometimes control comes naturally, sometimes it doesn’t. There are some students who come here with almost complete control and there are others who come with next to nothing. I guess it depends on the power and a whole heap of other factors. It took a while for me to gain control, but Peej, well he was a natural.”

Dan doesn’t actually know PJ’s power. He hasn’t been told yet. A part of him wonders if it is rude to ask, but everyone seems so chilled out here, not worried about being who they are. It’s kind of relaxing. For the first time in Dan’s life, he feel’s like he doesn’t need to worry.

“So uh, they are used to students who lack control?”

Phil looks at him again, with the same sort of soft smile that has littered his face numerous times. It’s gorgeous, infectious even. Dan knows he shouldn’t slip, but he can’t help himself. There is something about this other male that feels different. Safe, comforting. Something Dan wasn’t sure he would feel.

“Yeah, it’s common, especially with new Novas. You don’t have to worry, no one would blame you if something happened.”

Dan freezes, because Phil obviously picked up that he was referring to himself. Regardless of what Phil says, there is no part of him that wants to lose control, not here, not anywhere. And especially not in front of Phil.

And not, in front of his practical’s teacher.

Glancing over at his phone, he stumbles as he realises the time. He’s almost late.

“Shit, fuck.” Dan mumbles as he scrambles out of bed. Phil looks at him somewhat surprised as Dan hastily shoves his shoes on, somewhat ungracefully. He knocks the side of his bedframe as he get’s up, another swear word spilling from his mouth as he grabs at his hip.

“Everything okay?” Phil asks and if Dan’s not incorrect about his facial expression, he looks somewhat amused.

“Practicals are in less than five minutes.” He races past Phil without a second glance and runs out the door and down the hallway, and only just registers the offer of Phil to show him where class is.

He’s out of breath be the time he’s reached the classroom. He comes to a stop just a little way before the door, heaving in and out in a way that can only be blamed on lack of any physical activity. The three wrong turns he made probably didn’t help the scenario. He glances back at his phone, and grimaces. He is already almost 20 minutes late for his first physical class. Fan-fucking-tastic.

He takes take another lung filling breath before opening the door, his hair whips away from his face, a strong gust of air pushing against him as soon as he takes a step inside. His eyes fall onto another student, or so Dan assumes. He is standing in the middle of the class, eyes concentrating in the center.

There is a small hurricane, swirling in front of him. Twisting and twirling around, it looks like it tilts a little too far to the right, air slightly dispersing. The boy clenches his fists and in the next second it’s back in the same formation as before.

It disburses only a few moments after. A strong gust of air brushing against Dan before dissipating completely.

“Excellent work, Dylan.”

There is a figure off to the right off the room. Dan only assumes she is the teacher, due to the bright yellow sash tied around her waist. The boy takes a few steps back towards the section of seats by the door. There is a thin layer of sweat dripping down his face, and the breaths are slightly short. That must not have been as easy as it looked.

“Daniel, is it?” Her short brunette hair bounces as she takes a few steps towards Dan, warm smile on her face.

Dan just nods, as he notices all eyes look towards him. One of which is familiar. He doesn’t know whether to be more relieved or more anxious. The bright green eyes of PJ are looking directly at him. As soon as PJ notices Dan staring, he waves.

“Care to take a seat, we are just running individual practices at the moment.”

Dan follows the instructions. The rooms got the same cushion floor as Dan had felt during the introduction day. He watches PJ with bright eyes, grinning as he sits down next to him.

“So you're an elemental too?” PJ asks, “Chris mentioned that your ability was interesting. Didn’t reckon you’d be put into my class though.”

“He did?” Dan asks, because out of everyone he has met and seen so far, his ability is far from interesting.

“Yeah, but then again elemental abilities sort of are.” PJ proclaims. Without a second thought, he reaches into a pocket and pulls out a seed. He places his palm out, placing the seed in the centre. It takes a mere second before Dan realises that the seed is actually growing. It sprouts before his very eyes, beautiful green and yellow blooming.

“It’s a sunflower,” Dan mutters. He shouldn’t be so surprised, after what he has seen others do. But something about it is just amazing. He glances between PJ and the flower resting in his palm. PJ reaches over, placing the sunflower in Dan’s lap.

PJ clarifies.“They call it earth manipulation.”

It almost fitting, for PJ to have that kind of power. Out of everyone Dan has met so far, he seems the most down to earth person. Dan almost snorts at his own joke. It shouldn’t be as funny as he think’s it is.

“Daniel?” The teachers voices rings out. “How about you get up here and give us a demonstration of your own ability?”

The words echo in Dan ears. He sees PJ give him a look of encouragement. Sure he was expecting this to happen, but not so soon. He literally just got to class.

He can feel his anxiety stir his powers. The hot prickling sensation filling beneath his skin.

“I, er- maybe next class would be better?”

The teacher gives him a sympathetic look, but apparently she isn’t sympathetic enough to let him off the hook.

“Control takes practice. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It’s tradition, each new student demonstrates their abilities. Just something small. I’m told yours is a sort of fire elemental based?”

Dan glances confusingly at her. “It is?”

“It must be elemental based, correct? As to why you got placed in this class?”

When he thinks about it, light and fire are sort of similar.

“I guess so.”

Hesitantly, with one foot after the other, Dan makes his way to the front of the room. He knows, theoretically, that there isn’t actually anything to be afraid of. That everyone here is somewhat similar to him. That he’s a Nova, just like everyone else.

He takes a deep breath. The prickling sensation beginning to burn in an unpleasant manner. Standing in front of the class, he takes another look at the small group of them, before focusing on the ground.

“Whenever you’re ready.” The teacher encourages, but in reality, Dan isn’t ready. He hold his breath, willing himself to forget everything. Forget for just a second the words he’d told himself for years. To for once, embrace his powers, rather than suppress them.

He opens his palms, the iridescent light emitting from his fingers straight away. It beams upwards, in two different bolts. Hitting the roof and reflecting off. Eye’s trailing the room, Dan watches his fellow classmates watch.

He doesn’t let it last long, enough to demonstrate it enough. If he’s honest, it feels as though his powers are responding properly for once. Obeying his wishes, if only for this small moment. He closes his palms, light disappearing.

“Excellent!” She seems genuinely happy, smiling at Dan. “You’ve got a bit of control there. I suppose it could be fire based. Nevertheless, welcome to the class.”

He takes that as a sign to make his way back to the seat. His own show no where near as impressive as the kid before him.

“Light formation?” PJ practically beams at him. “Now, Chris was right, that is interesting. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

There’s a weird feeling swelling inside him. But this time it’s not just relief. For the first real time in Dan’s life, he feels a minute remanence of belonging.

[sin-n-city]

Ignited: Transpire

Ignited Chapter 3- Transpire

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating: M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Word Count: 3,062

Summary: AU superpowers. The lights has been there for as long as Dan can remember. It’s apart of him and he can’t help but love the light. But sometimes the burning and itching under his skin won’t leave until it shines bright and illuminates the sky.

Dan’s life changes forever when he is trust into a world of magic and mystery inside the walls of the Nova Institute for the Exceptionally Gifted and Talented. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Notes: I hope your all enjoying this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it! 

Link to Chapter 2 Link to Chapter 1

Any possible sentence formation instantly disappears. It takes all of Dan’s willpower to stop his jaw actually opening in shock. He glances from Phil, to the right hand side where Chris has already been let in. He looks back at Phil, nerves filling him because this can not be happening.

Phil smile turns from something enthusiastic to something a little more mellow, assumably because he’s guessing Dan is nervous. Which he definitely is. As well of a whole lot of other emotions swirling around in his head.

“Want to come in?”

Phil moves to the side and Dan takes a few more moments before he follow the que, walking slightly past his roommate.

He’s momentarily distracted. The room is how he expected it, yet not quite. It’s relatively large, more so then he would expect a dorm at a regular school to be. He’s walked into a lounge, an L shaped dark gray couch occupying the space on the right hand side. Directly across from it is a TV, and further down is a small kitchenette, which to Dan’s knowledge appears to have a sink, a microwave, and a mini bar fridge. There’s two doors, one on the opposite wall of the entrance hall and next to a bookshelf, and another on the right hand side a bit past the couch.

He prays to whatever god will hear him that it’s two separate bedrooms. He’ll take a communal bathroom.  

“Better than expected?”

Dan glances back at Phil and offers him a small nod. Dread washes over him, because what if this guy’s ability is mind reading? He’s totally fucked.

“Maybe you’d like a tour?” Phil questions again and Dan just shrugs in response. However, his roommate continues as though Dan is not blatantly attempting to ignore him.

Phil takes it in his stride, accepting that as a yes and continuing on. “So obviously this is the lounge room, equipped with netflix. It’s actually my account but I’m happy to share it. Theres the kitchen, we don’t really have cooking facilities because all meals are provided by the cafeteria, but we are encouraged to bring drinks and extra food up for whenever we feel like it. It’s open access except for curfew hours. A lot of nova’s need additional food to compensate for the energy output, so there's always something around.”

The word nova’s being used so casually sort of freaks Dan out. It’s like he’s finally labeled, like he’s actually apart of something. He isn’t the only one. It’s oddly comforting, but at the same, time impossibly scary.

Phil walks towards one of the doors, the one to the right. He looks over his shoulder as though he is inviting Dan to follow. He does, and as Phil opens the door he realises his previous worries were correct.

It’s a bathroom, fully equipped with a decent sized shower and toilet. There are dark blue towels hanging on the towel rack, and an array of scented shower gels inside the shower mantel piece. Phil gives Dan a moment to take it all in before he is walking towards the next door.

Dan doesn’t have to guess. He know’s that him and Phil will be sharing a room together. Dan takes a step inside. The room, although decently sized, is still shared, with one bed pressed  horizontally against the corners of the right and front walls. The other one is on the far left, vertically facing towards the door. There are two sets of desks in the room, a large window that they face out to. The have matching bedside tables, and two wardrobes.

Fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, he tries to soak it all in. It isn’t even the fact that for some ungodly reason he got placed with Phil, but for the fact he will also have to share a room, when he has very little control over his abilities.

“I sort of had my stuff everywhere but I've moved it all to one side. If you find some sort of adapter or something that isn't yours by your desk or what not just move it. I’m pretty sure I got everything but I was in a bit of a rush when they told me we would be sharing. So there's a chance I've probably left a few things, actually.”

Phil laughs at the end, smiling widely and friendly. It should be comforting. And maybe it sort of is. But for the most part, it does not extinguish the nerves fluttering in Dan's stomach.

For the upmost time in the past few days, he feels his ability prinkle under his skin, reacting to his emotions as he tries to desperately to keep himself in check. He takes a few calm breaths, willing himself not to lose it just yet.

Phil’s bright blue eyes soften and he looks sympathetic.

“So, I guess this is all kind of overwhelming, and I know you don’t know me or, like- basically, this school is going to help. So don’t worry. There is nothing you could do here that hasn’t been done before.”

It does put Dan’s mind to ease a little, but he still doesn’t look at Phil. Instead, he looks over to his bed. He assumes the one with the green duvet cover is Phil’s and his is the pale gray one in the corner bed.

“I’ll let you get settled.” Phil comments, “All your stuff has already been brought up, just in the closet.”

He gives one final smile before he turns away, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Dan take a few steps, collapsing onto the bed.

Instead of unpacking, he just falls asleep.

--

He naps for probably a bit too long. It’s several hours after his fallen asleep. His things are still unpacked, and he should probably clean them, or at least hang his clothes up. Dan doesn’t though. He rubs the remaining sleep from his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

He trudges out of the room, opening the door slowly.

Phil’s nowhere in sight.

It puts his mind to rest a bit. He tells himself that it shouldn’t, that this is a school designed to handle people like him. But at the same time, they don’t know what he’s capable of. Phil surely doesn't either. They might be the same age, but he’s willing to bet that Phil doesn’t randomly explode when his emotions are too high, or that there is a constant ache under his skin.

He pushes those thoughts to the side.

It’s half past seven, on the later side and he’s practically starving. He doesn’t know what time dinner is - he should probably get around to reading that manual - but Phil mentioned that the kitchens were always open before curfew, so he’s going to take his word for it and head over there to find something to eat.

It’s only a few more moments before he is out in the unfamiliar halls, trekking back through what he thinks is the correct way towards the dining wing.

It feels less weird as he enters the courtyard. There are others here now. Not too many, but enough, socialising. There's a girl blowing bubbles, literally flying out of her mouth and up into the air in different shapes. The two other girls around her laugh. The blonde one points her finger at them, a small bolt of electricity shooting out of it and hitting it dead in the center.

Dan almost stops in his tracks. He has to remind himself that this is normal.

That he can do that too.

Just like those girls, he’s a Nova.

He doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

--

It’s long gone dark when Dan finally returns to his room. He unlocks the door, taking a few steps in before closing it behind him.

“Welcome back.”

Dan jumps a little at the voice, because even if he was expecting someone, it would have been Phil.

“Chris?” Dan asks. He walks a few more steps to find Chris lounging about on the couch, TV moved to his side, and a packet of half empty chips on his lap.

Chris just grins at him before shoving a few more chips into his mouth.

“How did you...get in?”

Glancing back at the TV, Chris replies. “It’s amazing what you can do when you can break the sound barrier.”

Dan raises his eyebrow, because that doesn’t make any sense. At all.

“I’m kidding,” Chris jokes. “Your roomie let me in.”

He can’t help it, he visibly frowns. Not so much at anything in particular, just the constant reminder that he needs to get himself under control, because his family’s not around to cover for him if he actually fucks up. “Where is he?”

“I think he went somewhere with Peej. They invited me but I said I’d wait for you here. Phil offered free Netflix. And junk food. No mortal soul could resist that.”

Dan laughs, shaking his head. “Who is Peej?”

“My overly attractive roommate. It’s like the universe loves me. Or hates me, I haven't really decided yet.”

Dan physically has to stop himself from letting out a groan. Because he kind of feels exactly the same. He’s not going to tell Chris that, however.

He shrugs, “Probably a bit of both.”

Chris just shoves a few more chips in his mouth, looking like he is contemplating something, no doubt to do with his roommate. It’s then Dan realises that he doesn’t exactly know why Chris has come round to see him. Or, what he is even doing in his room in the first place.

“Is there a reason you came round?” Dan asks, and to his surprise, Chris just shakes his head. He shrugs and pats a spot next to him on the couch.

“Fate Dan. We both started at the institution at the same time, and got put in parallel rooms. Romeo and Juliet. With less making out. That’s reserved for others, unfortunately,” Chris replies with something Dan would describe as a shit eating grin. He says it in a perfectly posh british accent as well, which he has no doubtedly picked up from someone he has heard before. His usual voice is much too northern for him to have picked it up naturally.

“Right,” Dan agrees, but there's a smile on his face, because Chris is definitely crazy, and despite everything, for the first time in his life, having someone to talk to is really refreshing. Even if it is sort of unwillingly, and even if it is making him a tad uncomfortable. He has no idea what to do with himself, and though part of him wants to bolt, he doesn’t. He just stands there, stock still and unsure of himself.

Chris looks at him questionably, and it occurs to Dan that he is waiting for him to quit awkwardly lingering in the doorway and actually take the seat that was offered to him. He does, somewhat hesitantly.

“Have you read the introduction book yet?” Chris asks, offering the chip packet to Dan. Dan shakes his head. He probably should have, but this is all a little overwhelming and he’s hoping that Chris is feeling the same way. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it.

Chris laughs, his next words putting Dan to ease. “Me neither, actually. PJ gave me a tour of the school, which is fucking ginormous, by the way. You could actually hide dead bodies on the campus and it would probably take months to find.”

“Is this the part where you reveal that you lure people in with your impeccable accents and kill them while they sleep? Because I’m pretty sure someone on campus might notice if a student suddenly goes missing, just saying.”

Chris laughs, his next sentence the perfect imitation of Hannibal Lector. “Wouldn't you like to know.”

Dan’s tempted to chuck one of the decorative pillows at him.

“That’s fucking creepy.”

Smiling, the brunette beside him looks smug, and far too pleased with himself.

They settle together after that, Dan allowing Chris to hoard Phil’s Netflix account. He mostly plays hour long comedian shows, but Dan doesn’t mind. Despite everything, he’s enjoying Chris’ company. When was the last time he hung out with anybody that wasn’t his parents?

Dan doesn’t want to think about that, and he’s trying to convince himself that he’s safe, that this isn’t as terrible an idea as it seems.

But it still isn't a good idea. Not yet, not this soon. Not after everything that's happened. No, he isn’t going to be making any friends, no matter how funny Chris is and no matter how much it seems that they might get along. They can be acquaintances though, and if Chris wants to waste his time entertaining the silent Dan, then that will be fine, so long as Chris doesn’t push for anything Dan can’t give.

It’s safer if they reserve their time together to watching stupid Netflix shows anyway, maybe doing homework together in the library if Chris turns out to be that kind of guy. Yeah, that could be good, and it is a better friend-acquaintance-ship for Dan than if Phil tried to hang out with him anyway.

From Dan’s experiences, being around the people he finds attractive never turns out well for him.

“Hey, so, Peej was telling me about this cool party they throw on the last Saturday of every month. You maybe wanna go tomorrow?” Chris suddenly suggests. Dan glances over, and bites his lip.

“Nah. I’m cool.”

Chris eyes him for a minute, and then he shrugs. “Suit yourself, then.”

--

The only real bonus about having the ability to control light, is not having to worry about a lamp. Dan's hands skim the leather bound book, hands glowing against the page and illuminating the words he wants to read.

IV- students are prohibited from using their abilities upon other students, teachers or non-novas.*

He scoffs a bit. He would of thought this was basic knowledge. It makes him wonder though, what the students did who made this rule need to be written in the first place.

V- students are not allowed to speak or demonstrate their abilities to non-novas outside of their immediate family and/or guardians.

That point almost makes him laugh. Like he's had a choice. His life has been a constant battle to keep his abilities at bay, and unfortunately, some of the time he hasn't won, if the most recent events at his other school are anything to go buy, not to mention everything else that's happened.

It makes Dan wonder though, what would happen if the school didn't find out about him, if he hadn't accepted, if he’d chosen not to come here, and continued on like he had been for the past 17 years of his life. Part of him wants to know, another part of him doesn't.

VI- students are permitted to use their abilities within the designated school zones only.

At least that explains the girls using their abilities in the courtyard outside of class.

IX- students are expected to adhere to the school schedule. No student should be out of bed after 10pm between sunday-thursday (with the exception of public holidays). A curfew of no later than 12am on weekends is permitted. Students are not allowed out of there rooms post curfew.

It's not like Dan plans on being out and about past then, but to be honest, he doesn't have the best sleep schedule. He supposes that at least if he can stay up on tumblr to 3am even if he can't go get his usual 2am snack.

The asterisk at the bottom of the page states apart from within class training. But that's not what gets his attention. It's the final remark at the end of guide.

Students who disobey the rules will be punished accordingly.

Dan reads it a few times, because what does that even mean? How does someone with abilities punish someone? Let alone accordingly. It sends a small shiver down his spine. He has doubts that detention is the only method of use when it comes to breaking some of the major rules. He hopes that's not true, but then again, how do you deter a student from using their abilities on others without some sort of serious consequence?

He places the book on top of his bedside table. The words seeping in as the glow disappears. He wraps himself up in his duvet, curling against himself and tossing until he faces the wall.

Maybe, if he feels up to it, he will ask tomorrow. Maybe.

--

It’s dark when he wakes up. He’s a bit disorientated, and it takes Dan a few moments to register what’s going on. He can feel himself burning up, feel the heat under his skin sting in a way that he swears should seer. Pushing the covers up, he struggles to breathe, and wills himself to get a grip.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Phil sleeping, moonlight falling onto his face from the open window.

It’s the first night this has happened in a while, when his uncontrollable urge has woken him up in the middle of the night. Beads of sweat rolls down his face. His fists clench together, press against his chest. Words chant in his head. Not here, not now.

He can feel the tears prickle in his eyes. It’s his first night and his worst fear is already coming true. His abilities restlessly prickle under his skin, warmth flowing through his body relentlessly. He tries to take deep breaths, closing his eyes and concentrating. Pleading with himself. Forcing the heat away. His right palm lights up momentarily, and Dan practically chokes. He clenches his fist tighter, the light fading away almost as quickly as it shot through.

It’s several agonizing minutes before Dan can feel his control pushing through. He settles down, jagged breaths becoming more even as the heat dissipates. His head flops back against the bedframe, exhaustion rushing over his body. He can feel his energy slipping away, the internal struggle zapping all the fight from him.

He slinks down, sheets engulfing him once again. Darkness surrounds him, guiding him back to sleep. So quickly, that he doesn’t process the pair of blue eyes looking straight at him.

Link to chapter 4: Glow 

[sin-n-city]

Ignited: Lumos

Ignited chapter 1- Lumos

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating: M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Summary: AU superpowers. The lights has been there for as long as Dan can remember. It’s apart of him. But sometimes the burning and itching under his skin won't leave until it shines bright and illuminates the sky. 

Dan's life changes forever when he is trust into a world of magic and mystery inside the walls of the Nova Institute for the Exceptionally Gifted and Talented. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Notes: I’m back with a new chapter story. Not an Ethereal sequel (yet) but something that I hope will be just as exciting. I hope you enjoy!

Dan had always known he was different. He’d known since he was young. The light around him had always been so bright, and warm, and welcoming. It had beckoned him to come play,  formed on his hands in a bright yellow orb, and soared through the sky as he’d chased it. As a child, he’d run through the park without a care in the world.

The lights had been there for as long as Dan could remember.

As a child, he’d wanted nothing to do but play. The shiny light had been so intriguing, and when he did play with it, he could feel it pulsing throughout his body, filling his body with warmth and happiness until giggles were escaping his lips as streaks of light that rested against his arms and legs, moving around his body as though they were trying to take flight.

Dan hadn’t really understand how or why the light was there, and as he’d grown up, he hadn’t understood why all of the other kids had run up to him in excitement one day on the playground, asking him all kinds of questions that had seemed so strange. “Why can you do that?” or “wow that’s so cool!” they had said, and Dan had been happy, the warmth from deep inside of him radiating out in front of him, circling his new found friends as they attempted to reach out and touch it, the smiles on their faces reflecting Dan’s own. That had made him feel special.

So at first, Dan hadn’t known why his mother had screamed, or why it had been so loud and startling. The warmth around Dan’s body had disappeared, the light vanishing as his mother stood in front of him, frozen. He’d been able to see her crying, tears flowing down her cheeks, and he hadn’t understood.

“Daniel, you can’t do that. That's not- you are never to use that, thing in front of anyone again, understood?”

From that day forward, Dan’s parents explained over and over again why he couldn’t use his powers, why it wasn’t normal and how kid’s weren’t actually supposed to do the things they saw in cartoons or in movies, that Dan wasn’t supposed to be able to create light, that he wasn’t supposed to see it shine so brightly.

But it hadn’t made any sense to young Dan, because how could something so beautiful, something that made his friends happy and smile and laugh, be so wrong? How could something that Dan had seen his whole life, be bad?

He loved the light.

So he’d nodded, because his parents couldn’t know what he did when they weren’t around. They didn’t see that he didn’t need a torch to read his story books at night, so that he could stay up late when it was past his bedtime, or how he played with the flickers in his palms in the bathtub, chasing them around like the most beautiful fish in the soapy water.

Then one day, Dan didn’t feel so happy.

He can remember when it all started to change, when everything that had once been fun and perfect suddenly wasn’t, when the heat started radiating under his skin, swirling around so uncomfortably that Dan wanted to scream. He can remember the light forming on his hands unwillingly, the heat so unbearable that it forced itself out.

The kids around him at the time thought it was cool, that he was giving them a show like he had so long ago, but Dan was scared, and his parents were watching on in horror, his father marching over to cover it up, yelling Dan’s name.

Suddenly, the light shot out, a longer, stronger beam than Dan had ever been able to create before, and there was a blinding ring, a loud crack, and the tree that had shielded them was suddenly falling down.

The kids screamed, scrambling in all directions. Dan was frozen in fear, his eyes wide as he watched the branch fall towards him, ready to collapse on top of him, hurt him in ways he couldn't yet comprehend. He’d braced himself with a scream, tears rolling down his cheeks, but the impact he’d been expecting never came.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in his father's arms, shielded completely. His brown hair had been stuck to the wetness on his face, and he’d been hiccuping so loudly as he’d crooked his neck to the side, his father lying beside him howling in pain, tree branch pinning him down to the ground.

There was yelling. Dan heard his mother screaming his dad’s name as she helped pull the branch up off of him.

It was in that moment that Dan had realised, maybe not being normal wasn’t such a good thing.

And for the first time in his life, Dan had come to hate the light.

-

There are moments where Dan feels like everything's okay, when his parents don’t smother him and school isn’t as bad as it seems. There are days when the sun shines and it looks down on Dan with a radiant warmth that feel like kisses, but there are other days where control isn’t on Dan’s side, and he has to stay so focused that he isn’t able to do anything at all, days where his parents have to remind him that he needs to be careful, and more importantly why he needs to be careful.

Those days are harder than the others. Those are the days when Dan spends his time reading during lunch break, wishing that he could be one of his characters instead, the ones who make abnormal seem special, magical. The ones where the story has a happy ending and their differences are valued, accepted. Helpful.

Dan’s sitting at the back of one of his classes as usual, in the far corner of the room near the window, when everything starts to change.

It’s raining, dreary and miserable outside. The pitter patter is comforting though, drowning out the voices of the class. Dan’s notebook is mostly empty, doodles filling up more of the pages then actual words. He’s staring contently out the window when he hears a call of his name.

“Daniel?” his teacher half-shouts, and his head snaps up, eyes that had previously been unfocused now staring at the teacher in front of the class. She looks irritated, as if she’s called Dan’s name multiple times now without answer, and she’s sick of waiting.

Dan bites his lip, glancing at his fellow classmates for some sort of sign as to what the teacher had actually been talking about, and takes notices of the page of the girl sitting closest to him. It’s changed, and Dan quickly moves his own to the right page, a few off from where they had previously been reading.

“Sorry, I- got distracted.”

The teacher looks at him pointedly. “Then how about you come and write Pip’s inner monologue about his apprenticeship up on the board?”

Dan feels himself panic, then. Not only does he not want to, but he doesn’t know what monologue his teacher is talking about at all, and he glances at the girl beside him for help. She inconspicuously points at the sentence his teacher wants him to write on the board, and Dan sighs, nerves and stress leaving him just that little bit.

Thank god not everyone in his class are grade A dicks.

He has shitty handwriting, a curse from being left handed. It doesn’t help that today is a particularly bad day. Dan can feel a slight warmth prickling at his skin, reacting to his feelings. He wills himself to breathe, pushing himself up from his desk, and making his way towards the front of the room.

He writes the paragraph quickly, the need and want to get back to his seat and back into control much greater than trying to perfect his t’s.

"There have been occasions in my later life (I suppose as in most lives) when I have felt for a time as if a thick curtain had fallen on all its interest and romance, to shut me out from anything save dull endurance any more. Never has that curtain dropped so heavy and blank, as when my way in life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly-entered road of apprenticeship to Joe."

Dan puts down the marker, turns away pleased, his seat in sight. The blonde girl from before smiles at him encouragingly - he owes her a huge thank you - and he can feel the warmth begin to trickle away.

He’s going to be okay.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Dan briefly closes his eyes as he takes one more step towards his chair, and then he opens them again, smiles briefly at the student who’d helped him, hoping to come off grateful, and turns away. For half a second, Dan sees the guy sitting beside him get a smug look, eyes glistening with something Dan doesn’t know, and then, he finds out just what that is.

Suddenly, a backpack is in front of him, and before he knows it, Dan trips, his shoe getting caught on the bag as he takes the steps forwards. He falls down, crashing into the desk to his right. His head hits the corner, a flash of white hot pain shooting straight to his head, and then he feels it -  the humiliation rushing upon him as quickly as the stabbing pain in his head.

He feels hot, but he can’t focus. The sensation overwhelms him, pain and fear mixing together. And he knows, he knows.

The light erupts from his body in a bright burst. A single, long flash of warm light drowning out all vision in the room.

A scream comes piercing from his right. Dan hears his classmates scrambling away from him before he sees it. Panic tightens his chest.  He’s unable to breath as he watches his classmates press against the wall. They stare in shock, one dropping to the ground as though her legs have given out.

Dan doesn’t breathe, air caught in his throat as he scrambles to his feet. His hips bump against the table beside him. He flings forward, towards the door quicker than he ever thought imaginable. He runs, through the corridors, and he doesn’t stop running until the houses all blur past him, and his feet give out from underneath him.

--

By the time Dan get’s home, his clothes are dripping wet, and as he stands outside his front door, hand hanging loosely on the doorknob, he knows that his parents already know. There’s no way his parent’s don’t already know. There are a million missed calls on his phone already, and Dan is terrified, because he doesn't know what’s about to come. He swallows, turning the doorknob slowly as he attempts to make no noise. He prays the hinge squeak is drowned out by the thunderstorm happening around him.

It’s not.

Dan takes one cautious step inside, and he hears his mum before he sees her.

“Dan?” she questions. She appears from behind the lounge room wall, pulling him into a tight hug within a mere few seconds. He wants to cry, let more tears out, because he fucked up. He ruined everything and now everyone knows.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, voice thick. He embraces his mum, clinging onto her in a way he hasn’t for a long time. He despises how smothering his parents are, how they watch his every move and remind him constantly that he has to be careful, but he doesn’t hate it more than he hates himself at that moment.

He stands there for a few moments in silence, his mother gently muttering that it’s okay. It’s not okay, Dan knows it, they all know it. There’s a part of him that wishes it was, that he can pretend nothing happened and that things will be okay. They aren’t though. They are going to have to move, there is no way they can all stay here now.

“Come on,” his mother states after a few moments. She nudges at his arms, telling him to follow her as she heads towards the lounge. Dan does, head dropped low. No doubt his father will be in there too, waiting to tell him what the plan is.

“Daniel?”

Dan freezes on the spot, eyes locked on the two men that are sitting on the sofa. They are casually dressed, arms folded in their laps. Dan takes a step back, panic resurfacing for the upmost time that day.

“What’s going on?” he asks, attempting to keep the fear from his voice. His mother takes a few steps back so she is almost by his side. Dan flinches as her arm reaches out. Her hand retracts, a worried look surfacing on her face.

“The words out about your incident at school, honey,” his mother explains. Her hands straighten out her skirt, a nervous fidgeting habit that has also been passed down to Dan. “These men are from a school, a school for individuals with gifts as yourself! They teach kids with your type of abilities how to use them. It could be good for you Daniel, to learn some control.”

“And what?” Dan retorts, his voice dripping with hatred. “You want me to go to some government school where they can run experiments on me? Fuck that. No way.”

He can feel his abilities prickling beneath his skin defensively.

“It’s not like that, if you’d let them explain-”

“No way,” there is venom dripping in Dan voice, as he takes another step back, shoulder hitting the door archway.

“If you wouldn’t mind Dan, I’d like to show you something.”

The man on the right hand side of the couch speaks. It sounds friendly, inviting, and it only makes Dan disbelieve him more. The man raises his hand, fingers pointing towards the cups in front of him. The coffee table shakes, before it slowly rises into the air, floating several meters above the ground.

Dan’s eyes go wide, disbelief as to what he is seeing. “You- you can. You have...”

“Telekinesis. At least that is its technical name,” the man comments. “Basically the ability to levitate objects.”

His mother chimes in, an encouraging smile on her face. “See, Dan. There are other’s out there just like you. An entire school worth! Where other kids have gone through the same thing you have.”

Dan is filled with both relief and disbelief. The fact that there are others out there like him, living human beings with unique abilities, that he isn’t alone, he isn’t the freak he was always made out to be, changes everything. He can feel an invisible weight suddenly lift off of his shoulders, and for the first time in his life, he feels like he can truly breathe.

“They’ve all gone through similar experiences to you, Dan. Unique abilities that can turn out of control without the proper practice and skill. We teach these things; guidance, learning, and self-awareness. Teachers and classes to better understand who you are and where your abilities came from.  We offer guidance, and most of all, one day complete control over your powers.”

The words repeat in Dan’s mind, in a loop. Control over his abilities. No more anger or panic, no more spinning out of control. No more fear.

“We’re here to offer you a place at the Nova Institute for the Exceptionally Gifted and Talented.”

-

Link to Chapter 2: Nova

[sin-n-city]

Arise

Ethereal Universe One-shot: Arise

Character/Pairing: Dan Howell, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Length: 4.6k

Summary: AU- Super powers.  The words are drilled into his brain, countless times by his parents. Don’t let anyone know. So he doesn’t. He doesn’t let any-one else know about the strong magnetic pull. He doesn’t let anyone know about the euphoria that fills inside him when he makes objects soar through the air. Except sometimes he wishes someone knew. 

 And then he thinks about the way those green eye’s stare- and maybe someone already does. 

Notes: If you haven’t read Ethereal first, I strongly recommend it! Otherwise this won’t make as much sense. 

One-shot sort of prequel to Ethereal. I’ve had a lot of requests to write this, so thank you to everyone who messaged me. I hope it lives up to your expectations! 

--

The words are drilled into his brain. Countless times by his parents.

Don’t let anyone know.

They play on a loop, circling inside his head on an hourly basis. Everything he does he reminds himself. After everything his parent’s have done for him, it’s the least he can do. But sometimes he can’t always help it. Sometimes his concentration lacks, his mind goes elsewhere and the unexplainable happens.

It’s never normally noticed though. A pen rolling off his desk accidentally holds none of his classmates interest. Nor does the way he gazes out the window and a book falls off the shelf.

The little accidents no one notices. He’s okay with that. As long as he can carry on, day to day, completing his work and getting good grades without anyone catching on, then there isn’t anything to worry about. If he can keep himself in check, then his family don’t have to worry about it either.

There’s a difference though. Sometimes it’s like a magnetic pull. There is an ache in his chest and his abilities course through his veins. It’s oddly calming, reassuring. That it’s still there. That it's a part of him. That he can do things that no one else does.

So when he’s alone, he sometimes lets it loose. Dan knows he isn’t supposed to. But sometimes he can't help it. Sometimes the urge is there and so strong that all rational thought goes out the window.

When he was a kid, he used to flip a coin in mid-air.

He’d watch it spin and twist in a way he knew no one else could do. There was something magical about it. How if it was done in just the right light, it looked like the whole coin was shining.

It filled him with a sense of euphoria, a level of complete happiness.

His parents didn’t understand. They tried, but sometimes it ended in tears and yelling and sometimes Dan just gave in and accepted it. Control was important. He understood that. But there was always this thought in the back of his brain. His ability is part of him. Indescribable and permanent. Something that no one else understood.

“What if someone else out there found out?” His mother asked one day. “What would we do then?

He gets it, he really does. He doesn’t want to lose his parents and they don’t want to lose him. But there are thoughts that roll through his mind. The ones that come through when his abilities are twirling inside him, or when he is about to fall asleep at night.

Sometimes he even wishes that someone else knew.

Because at least maybe they would understand.

-

Dan tries not to think anything of the way those pair of green eyes stare. It’s hard, though. Once he notices he can’t stop. The gaze lingers on his side, he can feel it. He notices it happens more than just once, too.

This hasn’t been the first time.

It becomes an itch he can’t scratch. It won’t leave his mind, because why is that kid staring?

He subtly looks at the boy across the courtyard. Except it's actually not as subtle as he would like. The boy chooses that moment to look back at him and he smiles. A mop of brown hair on top of his head, a smile wide and genuine; one more inviting than any that has been directed towards Dan in a long time.

For a moment Dan thinks he might even invite him over.

“Peej!”

Peej, who Dan assumes is the guy's odd name, looks over. His smile changes, different to the one he had been giving Dan. The corners of his mouth dim down but oddly enough, Dan feels like it means something different, something stronger, something that he’s done a thousand times.

The voice is oddly familiar and it suddenly clicks as soon as he sees the other set of brown hair that it belongs to Chris Kendall.

Dan can hear Chris's voice clearly as he continues. “Tell me you brought a big lunch today.”

He watches Peej raise his eyebrow, shaking his head like he already knows where this is leading. “Which excuse was it today? You ran out of time to grab it or you forgot to pack it completely.”

Chris gives him a sheepish look, sitting down next to him on the bench. “Uh, the first one?”

Instead of replying, he watches Peej pull a second sandwich from the backpack next to him. He hands it over, Chris not even glancing at it before he’s taken a hefty bite. He plonks next to Peej in the same instance.

“Since when did you start packing an extra sandwich?” Chris questions.

“Since you started forgetting your lunch every second day.” Peej responds. Chris just grins, taking another bite into his sandwich and nodding.

Dan pulls his vision away from the pair. He doesn’t know Chris Kendall that much, they’ve been in the same year, but never actually in the same class except for two subjects this year.

Besides, it’s probably nothing to actually worry about.

-

It’s not until Chris Kendall sits next to him during class the next day that he starts to actually question things.

He slides into the seat beside him with a strange easiness that makes it appear as he has done so many more times before. He flops his bag on the ground beside him, a singular exercise book and pen set placed on the table in front of him.

Unsure what to do, Dan stares. Eyes looking at the side of Chris’s face because he isn’t sure what the actual fuck is happening right now.

“Did you happen to do the homework set for today?” Chris asks suddenly. He looks at Dan, sheepish smile on his face that instantly reminds him of the scene the other day when he had been around Peej. He flicks a piece of brown hair from his slightly overgrown fringe and smiles; one of those "please help me out" kind of grins.

“Yeah, I did.” Dan replies after a moment.

“Great!” Chris exclaims, flipping open to a page in his book. “What did you get for question 2,3,4 and 5?”

Dan looks at him for a moment. Expecting some sort of laughing to follow, because if he did his work correctly-and he’s willing to bet he did- there were only 5 questions actually assigned. Chris just looks at him though, awaiting the answers with the same look he had moments ago. “Uh, here?”

If Chris hears the lack of sureness in Dan’s tone, he doesn’t mind. He lets out a quick thanks, scribbling down the answers as fast as he can. His handwriting though, is somewhat impressive for something taken down so quickly and it occurs to Dan that maybe this isn’t the first time Chris has complied notes off of someone.

“Thanks,” Chris comments, sliding the book back to Dan’s side of the desk. “I sort of ran out of time last night.”

Dan just nods, opening to a blank page in preparation for the next class. He half expects Chris to pack up his things and go find another seat. His classmate doesn’t. He just pulls out his phone and replies to what Dan assumes is a message. He gets a glimpse at the background, an anime Dan has seen before.

“Fullmetal Alchemist,” Chris states, noticing Dan’s look. “Have you seen it?”

It’s somewhat surprising, because he never expected the two of them to actually have something in common, let alone an anime. He’s actually somewhat surprised that Chris is continuing with any sort of conversation.

“Uh, yeah. Brotherhood was better.” Dan replies and Chris let’s out a smile, which resembles that of the Cheshire Cat.

“Isn’t it, though? What were they even thinking the first time. It’s like they purposely tried to ruin something great. I’m glad they rebooted it, sticking to the manga is always better than whatever weird rubbish tangent that they end up with.”

Nodding, Dan goes to say something about how they should have done that with Fruits Basket instead of screwing up the entire plot line, but he doesn’t because their teacher decides that now is the perfect time to call for their homework to be handed up and the small bit of confidence Dan had goes out the window as quickly as it came.

He feels the small bit of anxiety in his chest somewhat lessen as Chris gathers them both up and hand them over as she comes around, slipping a “you're welcome” to  Dan somewhat jokingly. Or at least that’s what Dan assumes.

It’s still there though, and there is the nagging voice of his parents inside his head that he needs to be careful. And he knows. But oddly, so oddly, he finds himself feeling weirdly comfortable.

The problem is, he knows he needs to be careful. He’s careful every day, knowing how dangerous things can be if anyone suspects anything. He remembers that moment when he was a kid, when he lost control and hurt that little girl.

There is a large part of his brain that wants to say fuck it - that was so long ago, it shouldn’t even matter now.

Except as soon as the class is out, he says a quick goodbye and leaves Chris behind.

-

His mother's generic question rings his his head as he stares at the ceiling. Back pressed against his mattress, all his can think about is the answer to the everyday question.

Did he have a good day?  

Of course he had told his mother yes, like he always did. But the real question was surrounding the actual answer.

We watches the pencils twirl in front of him. Moving systematically and effortlessly through the air. It's usually something that takes his mind away. Where he can just let his abilities course through him and manifest themselves perfectly.

His parents had called it his zen zone. The moments he could take to be himself without having to worry. The moments where he would just let himself zone out and move whatever his mind felt like moving and there would be nothing else that mattered except that moment and the feeling that comes with it.

Except it’s not exactly working like that tonight. His brown eyes close, blackness invading his vision. He can still feel the objects moving above him. Practically see them floating through the air as if they are a physical part of him.

He kind of knows the answer already. He did have a good day. And not the generic good day that just comes with him attending school and being home with an evening full of video games in mind. The kind of good that was scary and different.

Different, because for the first time in ages he actually seemed to get along with someone; even if it was for a relatively brief, anxiety fueled moment. But scary, because he knows the rules he’s placed on himself. He knows that he has to be careful and that he has created distance between himself and everyone else for a reason.

A part of him is questioning it all, like that it’s suddenly too good to be true. That he gets some sort of weird vibe about this whole situation. Nothing that he can put his finger on. Just something is different.

He watches the clock tick, his phone illuminating the room as it begins to get dark. He watches as the moon glows into his room, radiating beautifully.

He decides that he isn’t actually going to decide on anything- if only just for now.

Except that he has decided: today was actually pretty great.

-

It might actually be that the universe is laughing at him whilst simultaneously screwing him over, but the bright morning that was once promising has turned into a rainstorm with a heavy amount of thunder. The occasional frightened scream could be heard from a handful of Dan's classmates.

This also means that he can’t sit at his favourite lunch spot, because as much as he enjoys its level of seclusion, he isn’t willing to turn into a drowned rat.

It also somehow, miraculously happens to mean that he gets shoved into the same open classroom as Chris does, along with his friend. He wants to turn around and go into the next room, suddenly panicking because even after his mind going haywire last night, he can’t seem to decide what the fuck to actually do, but his voice is suddenly called out from across the room. Loud, northern and unmistakable.

Dan freezes mid-turn and instantly regrets it because Chris definitely saw that.

“Come join our party of two.” Chris comments. “We’ve got a block of chocolate and some semi-stale doughnuts to share.”

Dan turns to them, watching as the brunette next to Chris shakes his head. “What kind of incentive is ‘semi-stale doughnuts?’”

“I’d eat doughnuts that had been left on the bench for a week. They are God's gift to man.”

Peej lets out a laugh that sounds like a mixture between finding something hilarious and unbelievable.

“Of course you would.”

“What do ya think Dan?” Chris shoves the doughnut box in his direction, raising his eyebrows. “I know it’s tempting you.”

Resigning quietly to the situation before him, Dan shakes his head as he steps forward. Shoving the doughnuts back towards Chris as he takes a seat opposite them. “You- uh, you can keep those all to yourself.”

Shrugging, Chris picks up one covered in sprinkles and hastily shoves it in his mouth. Dan is pretty sure he says something along the lines of, “well that’s your loss” but it comes out as more of a muffled long noise as he attempts to talk around his mouthful of doughnut. The other male rolls his eyes, but there is that smile back on his face, and this time Dan definitely knows it is some sort of fondness.

The brunette looks back at Dan.“My names PJ, by the way. I might as well  introduce myself seeing as how Chris is having a moment with his food.”

As if on cue Chris lets out a small moaning noise and it only briefly interrupts Dan’s thought process about how PJ makes a lot more sense then Peej does.

“It’s genuinely concerning how often this happens.” PJ voices, unwrapping his own wrap from the lunch box in front of him.

“That’s a regular occurrence?” Dan asks as Chris finally gulps down his food.

“Way too regular.”

Taking a sip from the juice box in front of PJ, Chris grins. “Honestly though, those doughnuts are delicious. You're missing out. There was only like, one hard bit, actually there was two. But I gotta sell it somehow.”

The look of horror on Dans face is mirrored by PJ. Dan’s pretty sure he can feel his stomach clenching in disgust.

It lasts all of two seconds before Chris bursts out laughing, so loudly that several of the students situated inside the room look over to see what’s so hilarious. He doesn’t stop there, he cackles so loudly that there are tears rolling out of his eyes, hands wrapping around his stomach as he jolts.

“Kidding,” Chris says as he wipes away another tear. “Did you even- see look at your faces. Perfect. Brilliant. As if there were actually any hard bits.”

It’s contagious though. Chris just has that laugh were it causes others to laugh, and before Dan knows it he is laughing alongside Chris, closely followed by PJ.

It dies down, and it might be the way that PJ says it, but he whispers “still don’t actually touch those doughnuts” and Dan finds himself in the weirdest fit of hysterics again that follows him throughout the remainder of lunch.

-

Dan doesn’t actually need to make a conscious decision, because before he knows it Chris starts joining him in their shared classes and inviting him round for lunch. It’s so weird, that the three of them just kind of click. He can’t explain it, but he feels relaxed and confident when the three of them are together.

It’s nice, to not be on guard all the time.

To say "fuck you" to that promise he made himself so long ago

And it’s weird too, because the moment Chris calls him a friend, he can feels his powers course through his veins in glee.

He swears that PJ smiles, directly at him, with a look that he’s never seen before.

-

“Why does PJ’s name have a heart next to it?” Dan asks one time. It’s been a few weeks, and he has seen the messages appear constantly during class time. It’s like they are inseparable. He kind of has a hint towards what the answer is, because he’s noticed the less than subtle glances between the both of them for a while now.

He can see a small blush appear on Chris’s cheeks and he knows that his hunch is correct.

“Uh it's sort of a joke.” Chris comments. And as if the gods are in on it, PJ sends him a message at the exact time, his name popping up on the screen with the pink heart next to it.

“Uh huh,” replies Dan, not taking a bar of it. It’s kind of obvious how they must feel about each other. Sure he has only known them for small period of time, but the google eyes they send to each other is a new level of sickening. And cute. There’s also that.

Continuing with his shit-eating lie, Chris remarks. “Like an in-house one.”

“So it’s got absolutely nothing to do with the reason you spend all your time texting him? Or the goofy looking smiles you send each other’s way? Or how you spent like, every fourth sentence telling me something he said? And especially nothing to do with the way your cheeks are looking like a beacon?”

Chris’ voice is a solid octave higher than usual. “Nope?”

“That sounded a lot like a question.” Dan murmurs and his only response is a nervous chuckle from Chris.

Running a hand through his tuft of brown hair, Chris sighs. He lets out a breath, in a rather uncharacteristic level that Dan’s never seen. “It’s not really that simple.”

And yeah, maybe Dan shouldn’t question him, because he sounds like he's cutting the conversation off. But at the same time he feels as though his heart sinks a little. And it shouldn’t. Because he has only known Chris for a few weeks now.  But he knows little things that make him care and trust him. Like that his hands run oddly warm and his jokes are obscenely perverse. He knows more about Chris Kendall then he has ever known about anyone.

And despite his prior judgement, he is the first person Dan would actually call his friend.

“How come?”

Chris hesitates again, like he’s thinking seriously about what he’s about to say. “It’s just, PJ probably already knows, and I mean, that must means that he’s not interested. So there isn’t really much of a point.”

Dan frowns. “Probably knows? So you told him, or...not?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Shrugging, Chris looks at him, the regular smile back in place. But it’s a bit off, it’s forced. “Besides, romance is a fucking struggle. You’ve gotta make time for that shit. I barely have enough time to do my homework.”

Dan laughs, but it’s purely for Chris’s benefit. Besides, the only reason Chris doesn’t have time to do his homework is because he’s spending it with PJ.

-

He decides that today’s the day. The speech is planned, all in his mind. It’s nothing that should actually require a plan. That’s not exactly what normal teenagers do when inviting the people they consider friends round to their house after school. But Dan hasn’t exactly got the most experience in this field. In-fact, he has practically zero knowledge in anything to do with friendship and the code that goes with it.

Is there even a code?

He wipes that thought from his mind. Now is definitely not the time to be freaking out over useless shit.  His plan is to just watch a few TV shows, play a few games together and maybe convince his parents to order pizza. Simple

He makes his way over to their meeting spot. He stands there, bag draped over his shoulder, phone in hand, obviously talking to PJ, because there never really is anyone else. It does bring a grin to Dan’s face, because at least -in his opinion- there is hope.

He pauses for a moment, grin crossing his face as he realises the Chris hasn’t actually seen him yet. And there is potential for pay back after the numerous times that the other male has hidden behind objects just to startle him. In all honesty, Chris is probably an awful influence on him.

He get’s right behind, finger’s armed and ready.

 “I don’t know, PJ. What are we supposed to say? Oh, by the way, we know you’ve got some kind of ability and want you to show us? We actually befriended you for that sole purpose. Yeah, that’s going to go down fucking swimmingly.”

Dan freezes, breath catching in his throat as he hears the words fall of Chris’s lips. His mind goes blank, every inch of him caught.

“We don’t want to freak him out, besides, you don’t even know what he can do, all you see is some gold colour. Like, what does that even mean. Dan’s not going to -Dan?”

Chris pauses mid-sentence, turning. He freezes, mirroring his friend. Brown eyes lock onto brown, and a look of pure terror falls onto Chris’s face. He opens his mouth, words failing to come out.

Chris steps forward, eye’s wide with worry. The phone is dropped from his ear, loosely held by his side. As soon as he does Dan feels his abilities surge in a way they never have before, panic reaching a whole new level. Without thinking, his abilities take hold. He feels a rush through him, and suddenly Chris is knocked off his feet, back hitting against the tree behind him.

There is a flash of concern that crosses Dan, before he remembers that Chris is a fucking traitor in the first place. He can feel the ground shaking beneath him, dirt rustling around as it reacts to his surge of anger and fear.

“I, Jesus - Dan, look, it isn’t how it sounds, honestly!” His voice comes off a bit out of breath, like he's winded. He pushes himself up and Dan’s abilities continue to swirl, a branch snapping in half and dropping to the ground directly in front of him.

“How long have you known?”

Dan’s voice is raised, uncharacteristically. His entire instinct is telling him to run. But he feels angry, betrayed. He considered Chris and PJ a friend, and to know that, that they knew this form the start somehow? That they manipulated him into believing that they were friends so they could exploit him?

The nausea in his stomach worsens, his fists tightening up as he tries to pointedly control his abilities.

“I – we haven’t, at least not exactly. PJ just suspected, he could see something different, it intrigued him. Listen, we’ve got-”

“You liar.” There is venom in his voice, words gritting through his teeth. He knows he has to calm down, that this is going to cause attention. He’s never lost this level of control before. His powers so strongly reacting to his emotions that they are reacting on their own. “I trusted you.”

The words come out broken, and he can feel tears threatening to fall.

Chris looks as though he has been punched in the face, words hitting him harder than the telekinesis did earlier. He doesn’t speak, but there is suddenly a flash of amber, a swirl of flames filling the air in between the two of them. It comes directly from Chris’s palms, lighting up the air in front of him with a glow Dan never knew existed.

“I can control fire.”

Dan’s world spins upside down for the second time. He feels his feet give out from under him and before he knows it, he is on the ground in a similar position to Chris.

“You – what?”

The flames disappear as quickly as they appeared, and Chris pushes himself up, crawling towards Dan. He pauses again, looking at his friend, with worry still evident on his face.

A numb feeling washes over Dan. The moment he has waited for has happened. Someone else with abilities. Someone else that knows what it’s like. Who can do things that no one can explain.

“How did you, how did you know?” Dan questions. “That I had an ability?”

Chris nods his head to the right, and it’s then he realises that PJ has appeared.

“I could see it, actually.” PJ replies, he takes a step forward and takes a seat on the ground until they are forming a similar circle to how they usually sit at lunch. “I guess it’s more accurate to say I could see the mark it left, in your aura. I noticed it one day at lunch.”

“Then you both have abilities.”

It’s more of a statement than a question. A level of disbelief.

PJ smiles as he says it. “Pyrokinesis and empathy.”

“So like, PJ’s ability sounds stupid, but it’s actually cool. He can see auras and sense people emotions. Sometimes also control them. You should have heard his stories as a kid. And I thought I was bad when I lit the curtains on fire.”

Against the gravity of the situation, Dan grins. Because that is so Chris.

“And you’ve got…the ability to give me a concussion via trees?”

The grin quickly turns into a frown, and a level of guilt washes over Dan. He probably did over-react, maybe just a little. However, he didn’t exactly have a choice. It was panic-driven. And panic plus a mixture of supernatural abilities is never a fantastic combination.

“Sorry, Chris. Honestly I- It’s telekinesis, actually. I did kind of loose it there for a moment.”

“An awesome moment.” Chris comments, like the fact that he got knocked with enough force to potentially break a bone is literally no big deal. “A fucking 'moving shit with you mind' kind of awesome moment.”

That really hits home, because there has never been someone that Dan has been able to discuss this with. He’s never met anyone else with abilities, and besides his family, he has never been able to speak about them. Yet here he is, sitting after school in a goddam circle with two of his friends talking freely about each of their abilities.

It feels like there is an invisible weight lifted off his shoulder.

And for the second time in his life, Dan’s world is turned upside down.

But this time, it’s for a much better reason. - 

Other Ethereal Oneshots:

Read Flicker 

Read Miasma

Read Ignite

[sin-n-city]

In a surprise turn of events, I have the newest installment of Ethereal coming your way! 

Within 12 hours, you’ll see what’s in store C: 

[sin-n-city]

Title: It’s The Small Things

Drabbler: Sin-n-city

Doodler: phils-universe

Beta: fyxlester

Warnings: small mentions of smut/ minor smut scene

Summery: It was only a small thing, but as it turns out. They are the most defining moments in life. 

Authors Note: A big thank you to my beta and doodler. You were so much fun to work with and made this event hella fun <3 

It’s the small things. 

It’s raining heavily on the train to Manchester. Dan’s IPod plays Muse, his favourite song on repeat as time ticks by. He’s excited to finally meet his best friend in person. After the numerous amounts of skype calls and hundreds of texts and twitter messages.

The train finally arrives, Dan waits all of 30 seconds minutes before making his way out. He stands at the edge of the platform, eye searching to find the face and figure he knows so well through a screen. His eyes lock onto Phil, who is waving to get his attention. Smile wide and enthusiastic.

Dan swears his heart almost skips a beat.

It was just a small thing.

-

The scene’s entirely different as he steps onto the same platform, waiting to say goodbye to Phil. The past few days have been amazing and it’s saddening to leave. He puts on a brave front, joking and pretending that Phil must be sick of him by now.

The doors start to flash and beep, symbolising that the train is about to leave. Before Dan can never get in a final goodbye, Phil pulls him in, arms wrapping around his body tightly in a hug.

He hugs back just a firmly and a small part of him tells himself to never let go.

He waits as Phil continues to wave until the platform is no longer in view.

But it was just a small thing.

-

Dan wakes often wakes up tangled together with Phil. They share the same bed, and for some reason their long legs often intertwine, tangled up together in the most comfortable way. He wakes up before Phil, watching the male sleep beside him for a few more minutes. His eyes close for a moment and the next minute Phil is awake beside him, eyelashes fluttering against the pillow.

“Five more minutes?” Phil murmurs and Dan nods. Phil closes his eyes, snuggling up and into the crook of Dan’s neck. Dan can’t deny the warmth beside him as it pulls him back into sleep.

It’s only a small thing.

-

They’re weaving through the crowed, busy London streets making it almost impossible to stick together. Dan doesn’t think much of it, wrapping his hand around Phil’s own. Phil locks their hands together, a relatively tight grip in response as they attempt to navigate the street.

They reach their destination and Dan swears he feels Phil give a light squeeze. Their hands part to their sides and as they sit at the restaurant facing each other. Dan almost lets out a squeak as Phil takes his hand within his own. Interlocking their fingers.

But it didn’t mean anything.

It’s still a small thing.

-

The first time they kiss, Phil’s lips are soft and chapped. He tastes of lime and Dan can feel the rush of blood in his cheeks. When they pull apart Phil gives him a look, one of which Dan has never seen before. He dives back in, lips pressing against each other slowly; exploring. When they pull apart again, Phil has a goofy smile on his face. Dan’s pretty sure it mimics his own.

After that, it becomes natural. Their lips become words of their own. Dan kisses Phil goodnight. Phil kisses Dan good morning. They both kiss each other; each kiss becoming longer and deeper and something a little bit more meaningful.

Sometimes, they are nothing more than a simple reminder.

One that Dan can’t live without.

But it’s all just a small thing.

-

Dan’s hands clench the sheets, soft moans filling the air. Phil gasps below him, breath falling from his lips in staggered motion. Phil’s hands wonder against Dan’s skin, leaving tingling sensations everywhere they touch. There is nothing but Phil and Dan together, climbing higher and higher until neither of them can feel anything except bliss.

There’s a sudden thought in Dan’s mind.

Maybe this isn’t such a small thing after all?

-

“I love you.”

Dan murmurs, his hand squeezing Phil’s thigh as he says it. He feels like it’s the most natural phrase to ever leave his mouth. Phil smiles, wide and gorgeous and it’s as though his bright blue eyes are sparkling.

“I love you too.” He murmurs back.

Dan his grins all dimples and happiness.

Phil reaches down, fingers slipping between Dan’s own. He leans forward, kissing him with enough passion that Dan can’t deny the truth between the words.

It’s then that Dan realises.

That small things are the most defining moments in life.  

Because they equate to something so much more.

[sin-n-city]

Rapture

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating: MA

Warnings: Swearing, smut, fluff and mentions of slight homophobia/ misunderstanding of bisexuality

Word Count: 10.2k

Summary: Dan knows that he should not blow of studying to hang out with Phil. He knows it. Yet he still can’t help himself. His books or shoved in a pile on the desk, mostly untouched. For some reason, it’s a little different around Phil.Everything’s a little rawer, a little more terrifying and a little more real. But so much better.

Also known as: The University AU where Dan falls hard for Phil but falls harder for his work. Literally.

Notes: finally this is done. This was supposed to be my Big Bang fic however life got in the way and I missed my cut off for summery submissions. So here, have a one-shot I sort of worked my butt off on, that I shall forever claim as the big bang that never was. 

Also a special thanks to Fxylester who acted as an unofficial better and helped me out with concepts and ideas!

-

Dan’s not going to deny the truth. He has never been the fittest person in the world. In fact, that idea of sitting on the couch and eating chips while playing video games is just so much more appealing than any form of legitimate exercise. 

However, he’s never regretting not fulfilling his new year’s resolution more than he is right now. Now he is having to lug his over filled suit case and duffle bag up three different levels and six flights of stairs. The only place that will actively stop him from literally freeing his tits off. His new flat.  

It’s been pouring since he left Reading. Practically bucketing down the whole drive over. The short distance between the car park and hallways has almost soaked him though. He is cold and tired and way too wet that is almost managers to over-ride his nerves.  

Almost.  

He pauses as he reaches the door. The keys feeling slightly heavy in his pocket. Like they weigh much more than just physical weight. And they do. But Dan’s here. A fresh start. A new town. And a new flat mate.  

Sliding the keys into the door, he fumbles with the key before pushing it opens. Hesitating for a moment, the sereneness of the situation setting in. Taking one step he heaves his suit case inside, the duffle bad almost sliding off his shoulder in the process.  

Dan stares at the hallways ahead of him. It’s a bit messy, a few boxes scattered on the floor, and in a weird way it’s almost comforting. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting. But somehow, this is alright.  

He takes a deep breath. Taking another step and closing the door behind him.  

At least it’s warm.  

- 

It’s not long before he is in the slower. His stuff all brought in from his car and lined up against one of the empty walls in his new room. The water slides down his body; hot and moist and just about everything he has ever needed. Even if it is only for a few moments.   

- 

The minute Dan steps out of the bathroom he is met by a small surprise.  

“Dan, right?”  

Almost dropping his damp cloths, Dan looks up. The man has a northern accent, his brown hair swept across his face in a similar fashion to Dan’s own.  

“And you must be Chris?” 

He sounds way too awkward and way to formal. Introductions have never been his forte. Especially when he is standing in nothing but a towel that is hung a little too low around his waist.  

“Great, I’d hate to have to change the locks already.” Chris replies and Dan isn’t entirely sure if he is actually joking or not.  

Dan shuffles slightly, “is that a common occurrence? Finding random strangers in your flat?” 

Chris laughs, leaning against the wall behind him and crossing his arms. And Dan is almost certain that Chris is giving him an once-over. “Always a first time for everything. I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of one-night stands where the other party member doesn’t exactly want to leave.” 

“Yeah,” Dan agrees. It’s a little forced, but he finds himself laughing. More at the irony then at the words being humorous. The only one night stand he’d ever endured had him leaving in the morning, not the other way around. Having a long term girlfriend –of three years that he refused to admit were wasted- kind of doesn’t allow for those things.  

“Anyway,” Chris states, pushing himself off the wall. “I was thinking we could have a good old fashion induction night. After all, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other’s faces. You a ps3 and pizza fan at all?”  

Dan’s never heard of a better idea in his entire life.  

“Only if we play Crash Bash. I brought it with me.” 

Smiling, Chris nods. “Prepare to get your ass kicked.” 

Maybe Dan didn’t need to be so nervous after all. 

- 

Dan might have to praise his mum this time. When she told him that he’d be staying with one of her friends sons in Manchester, he wasn’t exactly convinced it would be a good idea. He hadn’t been convinced that the whole idea was any good either. In fact, he’d sort of been tempted to run the completely other way. He almost had.  

But he can’t seem to fault her right now; not when they both get along as well as they have been, not when he finally is beginning to feel comfortable.  

He won’t tell her that though, because although getting along with Chris is one thing, getting along with his course work is a completely different matter.  

“I’m thinking we use that peri-peri chicken mix for dinner tonight?” Chris comments, and Dan is snapped out of his current thoughts.  

“Are you sure the spice isn’t going to kill you? Especially after last weeks fiasco?” Dan mocks and Chris gives him the middle finger. “I don’t think our toilet has recovered yet.” 

“I haven’t recovered yet.” Chris moans. “Whatever was in that sauce was shit. Like, literally.  

Dan makes a fake gagging noise. “Like I didn’t notice.” 

“Anyway, this is like, mild. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it before, maybe,” Chris replies. “And, it doesn’t have the word death in the title. So it already sounds promising.” 

“If you say so,” Dan laughs, giving Chris a mocking smile. 

“Also, PJ should be back from visiting his parents tonight, so he’s probably going to come round. You two haven’t had the chance to meet yet. And I haven’t had the chance to make out with him for two weeks. It’s becoming an issue.” 

“You have a boyfriend?” Dan asks. He raises his eyebrows. He hasn’t really heard Chris mention anything about PJ at all, not even his name, in fact. And he hasn’t walked in on any phone calls and you have both been in the house relatively frequently. It seems a little odd.  

Chris looks at him. “Uh, yeah. I didn’t mention that, did I? Mostly because we can’t talk that much while PJ is around his parents. He recently told them he was into guys, or at least, into me, and they are still kind of coming around to the idea. So our relationship is kinda on the down-low for now.” 

Dan frowns and Chris mistakenly thinks it’s for the complete wrong reason.  

“That’s not a problem, right?” He asks, face a level of serious Dan has never seen before. It makes Dan’s eyes widen, his voice sounds a little forced. 

“No, not at all,” Dan replies and Chris’ seems to relax a bit. The words dance on his tongue before he decides to speak them.  Because he is not completely used to saying them out loud yet. “Actually uh, I’m bisexual. So it would be more than a bit hypocritical for me to have a problem with it.” 

Chris’ face automatically switches to a grin. “Thank fucking Christ.” 

Dan gives him a really confused look, and Chris laughs a bit before he clarifies, “I was worried our entire friendship was about to be de-kindled.” 

“I don’t think that’s the correct way to describe anything like a friendship.” Dan retorts, “In-fact it’s actually really creepily weird.” 

Chris shrugs, “yeah, well. You’ll get used to it.”  

Faking a groan, Dan replies jokingly. “Not sure I want to.” 

“Hey, at least if you don’t like my personality, you can look at my body,” Chris smirks, and running his arms down his side in the least seductive manor Dan has ever witnessed in his entire existence.  

“Hmmm, nope. I’d rather not.” Dan replies and Chris’ smile increases ten-fold.  

“Not that you can anyway, because I’ve got a love and I know that it’s all my own. Wah-oh.” He sings the bit at the end, and Dan blinks, because it sounds way too familiar. 

“Did you just quote Easy A?”  

Chris does a weird shaking of his arse as he goes to exit the room and Dan uses all of his self-restraint not to throw a pillow at it. Or something a little bit harder.  

- 

PJ turns out to be a really great guy and the two of them get along super well. And it’s more than a little amusing when PJ squanders Chris’ attempt to make-out with him in front of Dan on the couch, and even better when they both teasingly gang up on Chris, which is surprisingly easy to do. 

He can still see that look in both their eyes, the glint of hope and love and everything in between. The one that Dan vaguely remembers was given to him during the beginning of his own relationship. The look that stirs up feelings that are both happy and bitter and confused and definitely things that he’d rather not think about.  

“So you’re starting at Manchester Uni, right?” PJ asks from his seat on the opposite couch.  “That’s why you moved here?” 

“Uh yeah,” Dan replies, because after all, it technically is the truth. “I got into law, so I’m going to be starting next week.” 

“Law? I would have picked you for someone in design, maybe.” PJ comments, and Dan actually laughs.  

“I can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler, I think your radar needs fixing.” 

“I’m second year media and photography student, and Chris is studying acting. None of us have the ability to fix anything,” PJ jokes, and Chris snickers.  

“I know something that I can always fix.” 

PJ completely ignores him, much to Chris’ dismay. “If our timetables overlap we can hang. Or if you have a gap between classes. I live on campus this year, so I’m always around. Except when I’m here, so I suppose you’ll be seeing me anyway.” 

- 

Night time has always involved a love hate relationship. Dan remembers a time where he slept well. When he didn’t have to worry about the world or the universe or decisions or anything and everything that happened in his life. When we was young, in school, reckless and taking for granted how easy his life actually was.  When life was simple. When life was easy. 

Some nights it’s still like that. Where his bed is warm and inviting and coaxes him into a sleep so deep.  

Sometimes it’s not. It’s filled with questions and what-ifs and so much tossing and turning he doesn’t even know what end of the bed he’s on anymore.  

Because there are questions he can’t answer. Pasts he can’t change. Events that make him feel so sick that he wants to run and hide and never look back.  

At least in the morning, when the shining and the birds are singing, the world seems like it’s moving. Everything is less daunting when you don’t have to think.  

- 

This first week of classes go okay. Dan hasn’t quite got to the stage where things are routine. But he manages to actually show up to all of his classes on time, with the only exception being him walking into the wrong classroom once. He practically lives of campus coffee. Buying one at least every day. Anything large and full of sugar has his name on it. He only has classes three days a week, and only has a giant gap on one of the days. He has already heard Chris tell him horror stories about his horrific first semester time table. He was unlucky enough too actually have a full week with three large gaps. The bitterness in his voice when Chris told him was still funny.  

He walks through the campus, vaguely understanding where he is going. Chris had said to meet him after class at a coffee chop. Surprisingly close to where his class was.  

As he enters he spots PJ. Sitting at one of the slightly larger tables. The places is nice. A bit bigger than the other areas on campus. It actually has a few couches, which are unfortunately taken. But he can see why they chose this as a meeting spot.  

“Hey,” PJ greets, waving over at him as he enters the room. “Take a seat.” 

He nods to the one next to him and Dan complies, sitting down.  

“How were your classes?”  

Dan wants to say great. But honestly, they seem a little bland and dry already. “Okay? I think. I mean they might turn out alright but honestly, one of the first units surrounds judicial law and it sounds like the most boring thing in the universe.” 

PJ laughs. “Don’t worry my first class involved a million and one reasons why you shouldn’t use windows movie maker. The lecturer almost made everyone sleep. I think a good 75% of the class left at least twice to get coffee. I’ve never consumed so much caffeine in the space of two hours.” 

“And that’s saying something. Peej is a tea drinker. It’s like the equivalent to him taking shots.” 

 An unfamiliar voice pipes up. He pulls out a seat across from Dan, sitting down with a small smile. His voice is Northern, not as strong as Chris’ accent but definitely there. He has black hair and blue eyes and he kind of screams attractive.  

“It’s a weakness. How can you not like tea though? Green tea and lemon. That’s where it’s at.” 

Chris shows up as suddenly as the other guy. “No way. Forrest fruits will be the love of my life. Sorry Peej. It’s like watered down strawberries. Who wouldn’t want that? Your stuff just tastes like grass.” 

Wrinkling up his nose, PJ disagrees. “How would you know what grass tastes like?”  

Chris just smiles, shrugging. “I was a weird child.” 

The blue eyed guy laughs, a hand reaching to cover his mouth. Dan’s not going to lie. It’s kind of cute.  

“What do you mean was?”  

Shooting him a mock offensive looks, Chris tisks. “You’re my best friend, he’s dating me and Dan lives with me. You all know what you’re in for by now.” 

“Nice to meet you, by the way.” 

Dan’s attention is called back across to the man opposite him. “Oh uh, yeah. You too?” 

It comes off as a question rather unintentionally. Dan mentally curses himself, he couldn’t just say a simple sentence without managing to fuck it up and seem rude.  

“Oh! Right. Dan this is Phil. Phil, Dan. Peej and Phil study media together. Slightly different majors though.” 

“What major is that?” Dan asks.  

“Post production and visual effects.” Phil answers. “You study Law right?”  

Dan frowns, because how does Phil know all this exactly? Phil must notice and he just grins in a slightly apologetic yet humorous way. “Chris told me. Don’t mean to sound creepy. He just blabs on a lot about you as a new roommate and how you ‘cheat’ at video games. Mostly the cheating bit. But what you study did get mentioned once.” 

“Cheat?” Dan raises an eyebrow. “Chris, you come like, fourth almost every time we play. It cannot be me cheating if you continuously loose to an NPC.” 

Chris lets out a grown. “That was like, one time.” 

PJ and Phil laugh simultaneously. “More like every time.” 

Suddenly Dan doesn’t think that uni is going to be as awful of an experience as he first thought.  

-

The next time Dan sees Phil is a bit different. He is walking to class during the second week, still coming to terms with which building connects with what. He has a backpack filled with his books, and a few nerdy pins that he put on there. Because yes, he is a fan of guild wars and no, he is not ashamed at all. 

He’s books aren’t that heavy but he has been carrying them and his laptop around attempting to find this tutorial room for the past half an hour. He sort of wants to chuck his entire backpack out the nearest open window and call it a day.  

“You know class would have technically started like 15 minutes ago right?”  

The northern tone comes to Dan’s right. He turns around, facing Phil who has a welcomed grin on his face.  

“Yeah, but apparently I never managed to develop those basic map reading skills almost everyone has. This is basically why I never attempted boy scouts.” 

Phil laughs and Dan finds it hard not to join in laughing too. It’s sort of oddly contagious. “It took me 3 months before I learned how to get to the agora. Even Chris got it in a few weeks. My sense of direction is almost non-existent.” 

“Does that mean I should head in the opposite direction of whatever way you say my class is?” Dan jokes and Phil looks like he is weighing up his response.  

“Probably,” he replies. “But that being said, I can show you to something way better. I’m feeling a vanilla thick shake whilst the sun is actually out. Want to join? I can introduce you to the proper university experience.” 

Dan looks at him question, and fidgets with his fringe. “Aren’t you supposed to be like, encouraging me to go to classes, instead of bribing me with delicious food as a reason to skip?” 

Phil grains at him again. “Yeah, but by this point you’ve probably missed half the class. And as Chris so proudly states, ‘attendance is voluntary’”.  

Dan inwardly shivers. There is literally nothing worse he could think of then interrupting and having the whole class stare at him for walking to late. “Christ, I do not want to walk into that room now.” 

Nodding in agreement, Phil indicates towards the right with his hand. “Then pre-pare for the best milkshake experience of your entire life.” 

He’s overly keen as he says it and Dan can’t help but think it’s sort of enduring. Phil voice and mannerisms kind of make him hard not to like. The way he gets excited. And the idea of spending a bit more time with him alongside a cold beverage is so much more appealing than ever showing up to his subjects.  

The milkshake as it turns out, is actually delicious. While Phil does opt for a plain vanilla which he claims is the ‘ultimate classic’, Dan goes for a whipped peanut butter. Which somehow has the texture of whipped cream and tastes even more orgasmic then it looks.  

“Good?” Phil asks, with a glint in his eye, because he knows exactly how great it actually is. Dan just nods, glancing at Phil with the tips of his eyes while he leans in for another gulp. Phil grins, saying a cheeky “you’re welcome.” 

And despite the delicious milky goodness in his grasp, he sure that going anywhere with Phil would have been just as good. 

- 

The next week, Dan manages to find his class. He slumps into a chair, furthest away from the tutor, who hopefully won’t recognise him as a missing student. When the tutor starts the class he can’t help but wish he was back drinking milkshakes with Phil. 

- 

It’s not like Chris planned on ruining Dan’s study time. But there is literally no way in hell that he is going to turn down an offer to go to the market on a Saturday. He’s never been to the Levenshulme market before, but it’s themed and apparently has some really nice things. Especially when those nice things involve food and drink. And okay, yeah, it is a Saturday and maybe Dan should be revising for the upcoming test in his fourth week, he even managed to convince himself that if he started 2 and weeks early he might do more than just pass, but he can’t really bring himself to do that when there is a promise of giant burrito’s with homemade guacamole.

“Told you it was worth it,” Chris comments, his mouth still slightly stuffed with one of the dumplings he bought from the Chinese sector.

“Sorry? What was that?” PJ asks. “Shove a little more food in your mouth and maybe we’ll understand a bit better.”

Chris just smiles at him, eyebrow cocked as he shoved another dumpling into his mouth and repeats the question.

“Why do you date him?” Phil asks, and Chris elbows him in the shoulder jokingly.

He swallows almost too quickly. “Because, I invite him on cute romantic dates to the market, even if they get ruined by other individuals.”

“Pretty sure it was your idea we all go together,” Dan retorts. Chris shrugs.

“That and my sex skills are impeccable.”

Phil stops half way into his bite of cotton candy and makes a fake gaging noise.

“You’re actually impossible.”

“I pride myself on it.”

“Do you think pouring the drink on Chris’ head is a waste of your bubble tea Peej?” Phil asks. “Because if you ask me, it’s actually a worthy cause.”

Dan laughs at the slightly ghostly look that crosses Chris’ face as PJ looks between his drink and his boyfriend. He contemplates it for a moment, tipping the mixture to the side and shaking it so the tapioca swirls. Chris takes a big step to the left, away from PJ and towards the other side of Phil.  

“If you take me down, I’m taking Phil with me.”

“Worth it,” Dan comments and Phil laughs.

Chris shakes his head. “How about I shout you your next bubble tea when we are out?”

PJ grins. “Next three?”

Chris lets out a groan, smile on his face because he knows he’s won. “Your addiction is a problem.”

“Says a caffine-holic.”

“Speaking of which,” Chris comments. Dan follows his direction, looking back only for a moment to watch as Chris takes PJ by the hand and tugs him along, towards the coffee shop that promise the best mocha in town.

“You should have seen them before they started dating.” Phil says. Dan looks at him and watches as Phil pops some more floss into his mouth. He offers some towards Dan, pointing the stick at him. Dan takes it, accidently pulling a bit too much off a smiling apologetically.

“Yeah?” Dan asks.

Phil nods. “It was like pent up frustration. They liked each other, I don’t think I’ve seen Chris’ give such relentless flirting. But PJ was unsure of what his parents would do if he made it official. Their religious, so he was worried. It’s worked out though. I’m happy for them.”

Dan watches as Chris doesn’t let PJ’s fingers go, intertwined as they wait in the short que and mumble something to each other. It sort of hits a nerve. If it shows Phil doesn’t say anything.

“They’re kind of weirdly perfect for each other huh?” Dan comments and Phil actually laughs.

“They are literally the closest thing you will ever get to a real life ying and yang.”

He watches as Chris offers PJ some of his drink whilst looking at him fondly.

“Should we ruin the moment?” Dan asks, dimples showing as he grins.

Phil gives him a matching look.

“Definitely.”

-

“I’ve invited Peej and Phil round tonight.” Chris announces as he slumps down into a kitchen chair. “Friday night tradition, that you have the honour of now joining.” 

“I’m flattered,” Dan replies sarcastically. “Being invited to an event held within my own house. How kind of you.” 

Chris just grins at him. “You’re welcome. Besides, we have officially adopted you. You wouldn’t have had a choice to come regardless of whether you were living here or not.” 

“I don’t think you can legally adopt someone over the age of 18.”  

The phone vibrates next to Chris and his fingers skim the screen, texting a reply. “No one does anything legally by choice these days anyway.” 

Dan shrugs, drinking out of the soft drink can before he asks, “Pizza for dinner then?” 

Chris grins at him, laughing for some unbeknown reason. “That suggestion, that one right there. That’s why we are friends.” 

Dan rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling on the inside.  

- 

The night progresses; a mix between guitar hero and shitty horror movies. Chris announces that they should do this next time. But with tequila. Dan has a feeling it’s because he wants to get everyone more drunk then him so he can actually win a round.  

- 

It does happen, though. Next time they watch a bad movie they take shots every time someone says something corny or dies in an obvious way. The plan probably backfires, because Chris is not much of a heavy weight. In-fact none of them really are, but Dan at least has some common sense to down water every now and then. 

“Do ya think we should like, yunno, play truth or date?”  

Phil looks at him confused. “You mean dare?” 

“Okay. I dare myself to make out with my boyfriend.” 

Before anyone has time to comprehend what happens, Chris pounces at PJ, knocking him with such force that they both topple over. PJ makes a small noise of protest, before obviously losing the battle against his boyfriend.  

Dan makes a fake gaging noise, averting his eyes to the other side of the room. Phil hands him another shot of tequila, and he takes it gladly. By the time they break for air, Dan’s downed another three. Which he will probably regret in the morning, but for now he doesn’t. Not when Phil’s hand grazes his own as he hands him another one. Or how alcohol somehow manages to make the sapphire in Phil’s eyes stand out that much more.  

- 

 His mum calls on a relative regular bases just to check up. So does his brother, but they are more in the form of texts and him complaining about school work. Not that Dan minds, it’s kind of nice to hear from them. But they all ask the same question. ‘How’s school going?’ He swears if he hears that one more time he will actually flip his desk.

Because at the most, school is fine. It’s tolerable. Fills in some spaces in the day. And yeah, he may have procrastinated on his first assignment so much that he stayed up until all night to just make sure it got submitted by its 9am due date.

But that’s university life. Practically all students live that way. Breezing through class and barely submitting his work on time is pretty much standard.

Or at least that’s what he’s telling himself.

- 

From Phil Lester:

01000100 I 01000001 I 01001110

Dan stares down questionably at his phone. It’s not like receiving random texts from Phil is uncommon. Ever since they gave each other their numbers they have a tendency to text each other when their bored. Sometimes they aren’t even words, just a string of emoji’s. But this one is particularly odd.

Is that supposed to be something I know?

Phil responds only a few seconds later.

From Phil Lester:

It’s your name in binary! Now you know what goes through the computer system every time you write the word ‘Dan’.

Dan raises his eyebrows, opens up his computer and does a quick search.

You do know that’s technically DAN right? Dan is completely different.

From Phil Lester:

Whoops, probably should have checked that before I sent it.

From Phil Lester:

01000100 I 01100001 I 01101110

From Phil Lester:

You’re welcome

Shaking his head, Dan flops back onto his bed, smiling at his phone a little dopily. And okay, yeah. Maybe receiving text messages from Phil is one of the best parts of his day. And he can’t deny the fluttering feeling in his stomach when he sees Phil smile, or when he hears him laugh as much as he wants to. He shouldn’t be feeling anything for anyone in their friendship group above, well, friendship. Because that’s what they are. Friends.

Except for some reason, it’s a little different around Phil.

Everything’s a little rawer, a little more terrifying and a little more real.

But so much better.

-

Chris and PJ go on a lot of dates. It’s kind of cute, the way the two of them make time to go out and do something together, even though they are practically around each other 24/7. PJ wasn’t actually kidding about that the first time they met.

Sometimes they’ll go out for tea or mini golf or shopping.

“You’re domesticated,” he teases Chris. “It’s kind of sickening.”

Of course Chris just flips him off and continues going about his day without a care in the world.

Sometimes they will stay at Chris’ and have movie dates in the lounge. Dan generally locks himself in his room, because it is a date after all and he’s presence being there would kind of destroy that. Even if PJ insists it’s alright.

So when Phil asks if he wants to come round, he more than jumps on the opportunity.

Dan follows his GPS, walking from his house to Phil. Despite the fact that they have been friends for a while, he hasn’t actually gone round to Phil’s yet. They usually hang out at his and Chris’ apartment, seeing as how it is easily the biggest space between the lot of them. PJ practically lives in a shoe box and while Phil managed to somehow score his own apartment so he wasn’t on campus, he isn’t exactly living it up in space either.

Phil buzzes him in almost immediately as he rings, meeting him half way down the stairway, which is a decent effort, because if Dan was Phil, he would definitely not make the effort to greet someone if it meant he had to go back up the massive flock of continuous stairs.

However, Phil’s a bit kinder then him, and he’s going to ignore the voice in his head that yeah, you’d do the exact same thing.

Phil’s apartment is distinct. It’s tiny, the bedroom right next to the worlds tiniest lounge and small kitchen. There is a small door to the right that Dan assumes is the bathroom and he is willing to bet that it is just as small as everything else in the apartment.

“It’s cute,” Dan says and Phil practically beams at him. Because that apartment really is. Because it just screams Phil. It’s small but cosy, a little bit messy and Dan is willing to bet a high amount of money that if he looked in a closet, he’d find an array of clothes and bits and pieces stashed in there at a last ditch cleaning effort.

The bedspread is chequered, just like Phil’s favourite shirt. There are lions everywhere and posters that are attempting to cover a crack in the wall. And yeah, somehow, it is really freaking adorable.

“Want anything to drink?” Phil offers.

“You’re a better host then I am,” Dan jokes. “I’ll just take a soft drink if you have any.”

Phil laughs, walking over to the mini size refrigerator in the corner of the room. “Yeah well, I’m used to just helping myself to Chris’ fridge if I want anything to eat or drink. And by default that includes you.”

Dan gives him an evil eye. “So it is you that keeps taking my lemonade! I knew it!”

Smiling at him guiltily, Phil passes the drink over. “Uh yeah, Chris said help myself so… take this as a peace offering?”

“Do you have a packet of those sweet potato chips you were raving about the other week?”

Nodding, Phil turns around.

“Grab those and we will call it even.” Dan teases, fixing the hairs of his fringe while Phil has his back to him.

“Deal. They will go well with our Walking Dead Marathon.”

Taking that as an invitation, Dan situates himself on one side of Phil’s couch. He opens the can, listening to it bubble for a second before taking a giant gulp.

“Now who’s helping themselves?” Phil teases, tossing the chips into the middle of the couch before moving to set up Netflix.

Dan doesn’t hesitate opening the packet and shoving on into his mouth. “Mmm, it’s part of the deal.”

“Yeah-huh,” Phil replies, shaking his head in mock annoyance and plonking himself on the couch. Dan looks at him out of the corner of his eyes as the movie starts, and he could swear the moment he looks away, Phil does the same.

He’s not going to question it.

By the time Dan opens his eyes it’s late. He isn’t exactly sure what time it is, but he isn’t sure exactly what is going on in the episode. There is a small tug on his shoulder, pushing him lightly.

“Dan,” Phil practically whispers. “It’s like 2am. I think we should get some sleep. Or at least I should. Seeing as you’ve already done that.”

Murmuring a sleepy “sorry”, Dan rubs at his eyes.

Phil just laughs a little bit. “Come on, you can stay here the night. It’s too late for you to go home at this time.”

Nodding, Dan pushes himself off the couch rather sloppily. He’s really tired and he’s brain is moving way too slowly to fully contemplate what’s going on. Phil gets up and looks at Dan over his should before indicating towards the small hallway. Dan follows without question, one slow small step at a time. He shuffles down the corridor, into the bedroom only a few steps away from the lounge.

“Where am I gonna sleep?”

The wheels in his brain are turning a bit faster. Because wait a minute, Phil doesn’t have a spare bed.

“In my bed?” Phil says simply, somewhat questionably. Dan just blinks at him, the wheels finally clicking into place.

He lets out a small oh, because the thought never really crossed his mind. The cogs turn once again, and he’s asking another question. “But I didn’t bring any clothes?”

Phil actually laughs this time, because Dan’s sounding a bit like a lost child, unsure of what to do. “You can borrow a clean pair of mine if you want.”

“Sure,” Dan says, even though he usually sleeps in his underwear. He isn’t exactly sure how Phil would feel about that and he doesn’t really want to push it. He’s tired and Phil’s bed looks so inviting. He could probably fall asleep in his jeans right now.

Phil passes him a pair out of the draw and moving out the corridor and towards the bathroom to put on his own. Dan quickly changes, neglecting to put on a shirt because while he is willing to sacrifice putting pants on, he doesn’t also want to wear a top. Old habits die hard, especially when you’re a half sleepy mess.

Dan hears the toiler flush and Phil comes back into the room a few moments later. Walking right past Dan and into the bed, pulling the covers up and getting himself comfortable. Dan does the same on the opposite side, sliding into bed without hesitation.

It’s comfortable, a bit cold due to lack of body heat but that’s to be expected. He’s slightly more awake then a moment ago, and he turns away, looking towards Phil who is shifting to make himself comfortable.

His heart picks up speed, because wait a moment. He’s sharing a bed with Philip Lester. The one who makes him smile and laugh and his heart flutter that bit faster whenever he is around. He swallows, because maybe this isn’t a good idea.

“Night Dan,” Phil murmurs, closing his eyes as he does so.

Dan replies, it coming out somewhat chocked. “Night.”

The tiredness sets in and Dan takes a few more moments to look at Phil, whose breath is quickly evening out.

The world slips into black and the last thought on Dan’s mind is how gorgeous the man next to him looks and how insanely fucked up he is for thinking that. Best friends don’t fall for best friends.

And when he wakes up before Phil, their legs tangled together and bodies almost touching, Dan can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe he can be selfish and savour the moment.

-

Dan knows that he should not blow of studying to hang out with Phil or the guys. He knows it. Yet he still can’t help himself. His books or shoved in a pile on the desk, mostly untouched. In-fact he is pretty sure there is a lick layer of dust settling on the top of them.

He should definitely not leave them to go out for dinner.

He should stay and read them and study for the test that’s happening on Monday.

He knows, and yet. It’s not enough to stop him from leaving.

-

“So, when are you going to ask Phil out?” Chris asks as he plunks himself down on the seat opposite Dan. Dan practically chokes on his drink, spluttering unattractively.

“I- when am I…what?”

Chris just looks at him and repeats his former words. “Going to ask Phil out?”

Dan blinks at him for a moment, placing his drink down slowly. “I’m, uh, I’m not?”

Chris looks at him like he is some kind of idiot.

“You spend like every waking moment in his presence and on the off chance that you are not, you’re either texting him or waiting for him to send you a message. It’s almost nauseating.”

Dan fake laughs, his sarcastic “Ha-ha” falling deaf on his roommate’s ears.

“Still going to stick with no?”

Raising an eyebrow Dan nods. He doesn’t want to complicate things and dating Phil would definitely be a big complication to what he already has going on. Sure PJ and Chris are sort of made for each other. But Dan with Phil? If something went wrong he would be fucking up more than just a relationship. He’d be losing his best friend too. Then he’d probably also end up losing Chris and Phil in the process.

Even if deep down, he really fucking wants to.

Chris looks at him for a moment and it almost looks a little sad. He shrugs, going putting the salt down and standing up, his chair scraping across the floor in the process. For a moment Dan thinks he is going to say something, but Chris just purses his lips and exits the room as quickly as he entered it. He murmurs something as he leaves, and Dan really, really wants to ask. But instead he shoves it aside, locking it tightly in the box he’s labelled ‘too difficult to deal with’.

Maybe he should have asked the wizard for some courage.

-

Every time PJ and Chris have their date night, Dan ends up the Phil’s. It’s quickly becoming a tradition and he jokingly chucks a finger at PJ when he suggests they all just go on a double date and get it over with. There is a small part of Dan’s mind that think maybe, just maybe, PJ and Chris are trying to hint at him. But then there is an even bigger part of him that says he is completely, 100% dreaming.

He assures PJ that he doesn’t want to witness more making out or overhear any more sex noises then he already does. Both PJ and Chris turn a small shade of pink and Dan inwardly smiles at himself and Chris turns it into some perverse joke about Dan secretly wanting to join in.

The gagging noise Dan make after Chris speaking is entirely real. And so is the pillow the PJ slaps into Chris’ face.

It’s a small victory. But he’ll take it.

-

There is a new expansion in guild wars. Chris teases him, saying that he’s turned into a hermit. He sort of has. He’s been in his room non-stop on his computer for almost a solid week, even missing his classes. Which he claims doesn’t matter because they can’t really get tested on anything this close to exams. Which is a lie, but one he is willing to make himself believe. He has basically only come out to spend time with Phil or PJ and Chris. Spending most of his waking time play, and almost most of his sleeping time of he is honest.

“Coming out for air anytime soon mate?” Chris asks one day, popping his head inside the room. Dan glances at him for a moment before looking back at the game and determining a spot where he isn’t going to die from getting ganked by monsters. “PJ and I were going to have date night but I think maybe the four of us could get together and do something instead.”

“Sure,” Dan agrees. It’s probably a good idea for his health to leave the room after such a solid amount of time.  

“Great. Nondos it is. And for the love of god. Shower before you come out.”

Dan doesn’t even look back from the screen. He just grabs the closest object on the right, which somewhat ironically happens to be the guild wars 2 box and throws it at the doorway.

Chris’ slight screech is more than satisfying.

-

There is one week where Phil stays over practically every day. They still go to classes like usual, but they always end up coming back to Dan’s without even planning it. They cook dinner together, and Dan’s found out that between the two of them, he is the best cook.

It’s worrying, because he notorious for somehow managing to burn rice, where both Phil is notorious for burning everything.

“Is chicken cooked if it’s still a bit pink? Like, just a little bit?” Phil asks one day and Dan almost drops to the floor in fit.

“Chicken isn’t lamb or beef, Phil.” Dan corrects. “If it’s pink then you’re probably going to get salmonella.”

Phil looks at him smugly and a little guiltily before chucking the chicken he had been cooking back into the pan.

Dan groans. “How have you not killed yourself yet?”

Phil waves his hands around in front of him, like it is some kind of defence. “I stopped doing food technology in like, year 8. How am I supposed to know that?”

Dan doesn’t say anything, he gets lets out a loud breath and continues to look at the males across from him in disbelief.

“How about if there is white stuff on the bok-choy? Because I’m pretty sure there was a lot of it.”

Eyes visibly widening, Dan almost shrieks. “You are kidding. You did not just cook with food that had mould on it. Oh my god are you trying to kill us.”

Phil purses his lips tightly. “Uh, maybe?”

Dan just blinks at him, unsure of what he should be doing right now. He half wants to drop to the floor, half wants to splutter incoherently. He goes for the latter option.

“I just, Phil- I actually can’t. Did you not learn proper food handling and like, safety. How are you not dead yet? How am I not dead yet?”

Lips trembling, Phil barely contains his laughter, it all bursting out in a small hit of hysterics. It’s loud, slightly different to his usually giggle. There are tears coming out of the corners of his eyes and pink is forming on his cheeks.

“What?” Dan asks, unsure of what exactly is so funny about food poisoning. Because based on his previous experiences, it is anything but humorous.  

Phil chokes out his words through his laughter. “You. I just, I’m joking. But your face.”

Dan lets out a soft ‘oh’. Before he knows it, there is a smile on his face and he isn’t sure if he is laughing from the humour of the situation, relief or just because Phil’s laughter is always contagious.

“You idiot,” Dan murmurs after they have managed to catch their breath. “To be fair, it sort of sounds like something you are capable of.

Phil’s smile changes from funny to sly. “Okay so, there was one time. But only one!”

Laughing again, Dan gives him an unsure glance. “Sure it was.”

Phil gets a little flustered as he splutters out a response. Dan’s not going to deny, it’s a little bit adorable.

-

PJ shouts him lunch one day. Which is awfully nice, considering that Dan has ordered more than just a drink at their favourite café. The class was almost antagonising, each legal class seeming to last longer than the last. Minutes drawing out like they are lasting an eternity. For some reason this as made Dan extremely hungry.

“Worked up and appetite?” PJ asks as he digs into his own soup.

Dan snorts. “Something like that. Possibly the complete opposite of that, really.”

“End of semester is the worst. Seriously, assignments rack up and then there are exams. It’s like they purposely try to screw you over sometimes I swear. The first year is always the hardest though. Even the first semester. Once you get past it, it’s a lot easier the second time round.”

The end of PJ’s sentence makes him want to hit his head against a brick wall. Second time round? He doesn’t even want there to be a first time round.

“Want to do my work for me? I’ll pay you in friendship and cookies.” Dan offers.

Grinning, PJ makes another suggestion. “No thanks, I’ve got enough on my plate. Have you tried to study for a final with Chris around? It’s actually the worst thing ever.”

“Better you then me.”

Dan doesn’t have another response because he hasn’t exactly done any study. Unless you count blankly looking at the page for five minutes before giving up ‘study’.

“Precisely.” PJ agrees and Dan looks at him like he is some kind of alien. “I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

Looking at him curiously, Dan waits for him to talk.

“I mean, this doesn’t have to be a big deal or anything. But my contract is up for the dorms at the end of this month and I was sort of wondering if you would be okay with me moving in with you and Chris?” PJ speaks casually, but even Dan can hear the small sense of questioning and nervousness in his voice. “I mean you don’t have to say anything right away, cus like it’s your house too. Which is why I wanted to ask. But Chris and I have sort of been discussing it recently and I was just wondering if you would be open to it?”

“PJ that place is a shoebox. And you’re my friend. As if I’m going to say no.” Dan replies without a second thought. He hasn’t felt like he has belonged with a group of friends more than he has now, PJ included.

“Good, because if you had of said no I would have made you pay for your meal.” PJ jokes.

Dan grins. “Please. I’ll accept your bribery to its full extent. I’m ordering wedges after this.”

-

From Phil Lester:

Bioshock-thon? Play through from original to infinite over the weekend? :)))))

Dan pretends to consider it. But of course is isn’t going to say no.

Sure

He hears the doorbell ring a moment later, of course Phil was waiting outside.

“I might as well give you a key.” Dan proclaims as he answers the door. Phil gives him a wide smile. He’s wearing his tight skinny jeans and his hair is bit messy, just the way Dan secretly likes it. Dan sort of wants to kiss him. A lot. “Why did you even bother asking?”

Shrugging Phil lets himself inside. “I was trying to be polite?”

“Try stalker-esk.”

They start playing in the afternoon, Phil’s inability to play a mix of adorable and frustrating due to Dan’s competitive Nature. But soon Bioshock turns into Fallout, which turns into Dishonoured and Dan starts to question if it’s Phil who should have asked to move in, not PJ.

-

Dan brings his papers to Phil’s. It’s a last ditch effort to actually study. Two days before his biggest exam. He packs some clothes, a tooth brush and his text books. By the time he gets to Phil’s, there is a space set up for him in the lounge and coffee on the table.

And fuck, Dan is in so goddamn deep.

-

“I don’t think this is what I’m supposed to be doing, Phil,” Dan announces, and it feels like a mix between instant stress and relief all at once.   

“Doing what?” Phil asks, and he shifts a little bit closer on the couch. His hand overing slightly, as though he isn’t exactly sure how to comfort but clearly wants too.  

“This, this whole thing!” Dan proclaims, his voice high pitched and raised, eyes wide as he splutters. “This test, this entire subject on law. The whole damn degree. It’s not me, it’s not what I want. I came here to make it seem like I was doing something with my life. But I’m not doing anything. I’m sitting here, watching great British bake off re-runs instead of studying for my exams. Re-runs. I’ve already seen the fucking final. I know that happens. Yet here I am, sitting here, like it’s so fucking important.” 

Dan’s chest rises and falls, his breath heavy. Phil swallows, looking more than just a little bit taken back. There is a small silence, as though they are both trying to process the information. 

“Maybe…” Phil starts, and he pauses.  

Dan prompts him, his breath this slightly laboured. “Maybe what?” 

“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad Idea to just stop.” Phil admits. Dan blinks at him, the words falling over him like a title wave. Because it’s not that simple. Because if he isn’t here studying he has no purpose. He has no job, nothing to go for him. And most importantly, he doesn’t have Phil.  

His voice is a lot quieter in response. “It’s not that simple.” 

Phil prods, his hand leaving the couch and ever so subtlety resting on Dan’s forearm. The act of comfort is less that and more confusing. Dan’s mind is torn into shreds, a million things swirling and emotions high. 

“Why isn’t it?” 

Dan shakes his head, subconsciously leaning towards Phil a little bit more. “Because it’s just not.” 

It sounds sort of like final words. Dan wants the conversation to end there. But he can see the worry and confusion in his friend’s eyes, practically radiating though him. “If you’re not happy, then don’t do what’s stopping it. Do what you want. Do what you need.” 

“I can’t.”  

Phil doesn’t take that for an answer, and part of Dan wishes he would. That he’d just leave this alone and stop picking at things that shouldn’t be poked.  

“Why?” 

And just like that, something snaps. More than it did before. The little string that they were walking on breaks and Dan lets loose.  

“Because I’d be losing my only source of happiness too. I’d be losing Chris and PJ and most importantly, I’d be losing you. And god, Phil. I can’t do that. I can’t do that when I love you like I do.” 

Neither of them have time to process, emotions on over-drive, Dan leans forward. The gap between them closing as he places his lips against Phil’s own.  

Phil freeze momentarily before he processes what is going on and suddenly his arms are wrapped against Dan’s neck, pulling him closer and their lips continue to interlock. It’s only a moment before Dan’s tongue is moving against Phil’s own, memorising the inside of his mouth. He pushes forward, hand sliding up Phil top and touching creamy skin.

His mind screams at him, body on fire as he pushes forward until Phil is lying underneath him.

Phil’s hands push up against Dan’s top, roaming over his back and the beginning of his hip bones. It doesn’t take long before Dan slides his T-shirt off. Phil lifting it over Dan’s head as they break the kiss for a moment. Dan sinks his head, latching onto the flesh of Phil’s neck.

Phil groans, hip buckling in response to the sensation. Dan can’t help himself, all he can feel and think is Phil. It overloads his senses, forcing everything away from his mind except the fact that he is lying beneath him, hips buckling and cheeks flushed. Dan continues, sucking and nipping towards Phil’s collarbone.

Suddenly his mouth is pulled up and Phil’s lips are attached to his again, slight panting against his lips before the re-interlock. It hungry and for a split second Dan wonders if Phil has felt the same way Dan has for just as long. Dan roles his hips down, the sensation overwhelming him, moaning into Phil’s mouth.

A hand moves, locking in Phil’s hair, hips rolling against Phil’s as the older boy meets him mid thrust. Their hips role together, trusting into one another with increased speed. Dan aches to touch Phil, but he is close, almost too close. Their lips become sloppy, gasping for air between kisses and Phil lets loose a strangled “Dan.”

All Dan can think is Phil, Phil Phil as he rolls his hips faster. His body trembles, orgasm spreading through him like fire. Phil swears, low and loud, moving against Dan still, his own orgasm hitting him only a moment later.

Dan can hear a mixture of their combined heavy breathing. Phil’s breath presses against his neck, hand still stroking the hollow of Dan’s back.

They don’t say anything, skin against skin the only real contact and when Dan finally gains the courage to look into Phil’s gorgeous blue eyes, he sees something that looks a lot like sorrow.  

-

Dan leaves with a promise of talking later, ignoring Phil’s worried questions. He doesn’t want to think about it. He doesn’t want to think about how he just fucked everything up with the person he loves. How the silence seemed to linger forever.  How Phil’s eyes were so riddled with emotion and he was sure that his own were so much worse.

-

Chris and PJ don’t say anything, not right away. It’s a little bit surprising, because they can see the wrecked look he has on his face as he walks into the house. He hears someone knock on his door a bit later and he stays still, willing them to go away.

They linger in the doorway for a moment, clearly hesitant. But eventually they go away.

-

Dan doesn’t bother going to his exam. There isn’t exactly a point. He’s going to flunk it anyway.

-

His phone vibrate beside him. It’s the fifth time in the past hour that it has rung. It’s Phil. He ignores it, just like he has the past few days. He knows deep down that he should talk it out. That he shouldn’t just announce his love and practically fuck him and then just nick off. But he can’t help but recall that look. The one on Phil’s face that looks like pity and regret and so many other things that Dan can’t put a name too.

He swallows; tears threatening to fall out of his eyes.

His life is fucked and yet all he cares about is that fact that he still wants Phil.

-

“Alright,” Chris announces. He is on the couch, legs crossed as he stares at Dan. There is a stern look on his face, one that Dan hasn’t quite seen before. It’s intimidating. “Sit down, will you?”

Dan shakes his head, taking another step towards his room. “Nah, it’s alright-”

“Dan.”

Swallowing, Dan halts his movements at the seriousness in Chris’ voice. Yeah, he definitely hasn’t experienced this before. He sighs, dread filling him up as he takes a few steps towards the couch and sits down, right on the edge.

“What happened with Phil?”

His defences are sky high and as soon as he hears Phil’s name fall from Chris’ lips it all but crumbles.

“I just, I fucked up okay? Again. I freaked out about class and flunking and not knowing what to do with my life and the fucking pressure my parents put on me and I just, I broke. And I kissed Phil because I love him. God, so, so much. I’ve never felt this way about anymore before and it’s terrifying. Everything is terrifying. I came here not knowing who I was and doubting myself and now, when something finally starts to fall into place it gets ripped away from me.”

His breath is laboured, words rushing out of him like there isn’t enough air.

“I came here to please my parents because I was such a fucking disappointment. I told my girlfriend I was bisexual and she broke up with me. Hell, I wasn’t even 100% sure, I was questioning at that stage. Then I told my mum and she doesn’t understand it, because it’s just a phase. But it’s not. It’s not just a phase.  And this was over a year ago. They don’t get it, so I come here and try to sort my life out and get my shit together, but the only thing I manage to get together will just be taken from me because the other part of my life is falling to fucking pieces.”

His practically sobbing at this point, tears over flowing. He sniffles and doesn’t even have time to react before Chris is pulling him into a hug. It’s the most solid thing he’s felt in days. So he clings into it, arms wrapping around Chris as everything pours out.

They don’t say anything for the longest time. Dan’s chest heaves, sobs finally starting to die down.

“Fuck your family. They don’t matter.” Chris announces and for some reason, Dan actually laughs. Those words are like magic to his ears. “If they don’t support you then they can keep their unwanted bullshit opinions to themselves.”

There is another pause and Dan feels himself soak it all in.

“But don’t, for one goddam second Howell, think that you can block us out. Because that won’t work. And if you try it again, I’m going to personally kick your ass into gear, a lot harder than this time. Alright?”

Dan hopes that’s a promise.

-

Dan doesn’t even need to think. It takes him half a day before the transfer is filled out and processed. Bachelor of the Arts with a major in humanities sounds like the one of the best decisions of his entire life.

-

He’s soaked though by the time he finally reaches Phil’s apartment, the rain is torrential, bucketing down and soaking him practically to the bone. He hops on the spot as he desperately knocks on Phil’s door, barely waiting a few seconds before tapping his knuckles against the wood. The door opens mid-way through, his hand knocking into the air directly in front of Phil’s face.

“Dan?” Phil voice is surprised and a bit confused. He looks at him, dripping on the staircase in front of him.

“Can I come in?”

Phil takes a second before he moves to the side, silently welcoming Dan into his apartment. Dan takes to strides in, walking just past Phil before turning around and facing him.

“Do you want a towl? I can grab you one if want to wait here or I-”

“Wait no, it’s fine, just. Just let me talk. Please.” Dan states. His determined and Phil gives him another moderately surprised look before gesturing for him to continue, lips pursed together.

“I’m sorry for freaking out. I was just, a total fucking mess. Everything was overwhelming and I didn’t know what to do. So I panicked. And I kissed you. Then I panicked a bit more and fucked things seven more ways to Sunday.”

He takes a deep breath, anchoring himself.

“But I really did mean it Phil. I love you, like a lot. And I know I should have told you sooner and in a much better way. Instead it came out when I was stressed and worried. But I was worried about you. I was worried that if I admitted everything to myself, if I admitted them to you, you wouldn’t feel the same way, and then the only real thing that was keeping me together, wouldn’t be there to do that anymore.”

Dan watches as Phil’s eyes soften, he bites his lip as he listens to Dan’s words. He lets out a deep breath, similar to Dan’s earlier one.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Phil admits, but he says it so fondly that Dan’s heart almost stops beating. “I love you too. Like a lot. And I was upset at myself, for taking so fucking long to realise it. It took you to have a break down before being able to say anything. I should have noticed and I should have said something. But I didn’t and I’m so sorry.”

This time, Dan actually does think his heart skips a beat. “So, does that mean I can kiss you again? Because I’ve had a really shit couple of days and I’ve honestly been wanted to kiss you since the first time we met.”

Phil doesn’t say anything, he just takes a step forward, leaning slightly up and pressing his lips against Dan’s own.

For now, that is more than enough.  

[sin-n-city]

Flicker

Ethereal Universe One-shot: Flicker

Pairing: PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Length: 1.5k

Summary: AU- Super powers. PJ doesn’t know exactly what it is about his new male classmate that is so intriguing. He’s kind of loud and a little obnoxious. His hair’s a little messy and his smile is also sort of gorgeous. His voice has an accent, a northern twang that is unmistakable amongst the rest of the class. It might be a combination of all three things, really. It might also be the fact that PJ can’t shake a feeling. It’s sort of indescribable. 

He could almost swear there is some kind of pull.

Notes: Ethereal Universe one-shot based on this prompt:

Would you consider doing a thing off Ethereal for how PJ and Chris met??

 Why yes anon, I would C:

Link to Ethereal masterpost. I strongly suggest reading the chapter series before this one-shot. Because it will make a lot more sense!

I do plan on writing more one shots for Ethereal. So send over prompts if there is something you would like me to do, like this lovely person did above.

PJ doesn’t know exactly what it is about his new male classmate that is so intriguing. He’s kind of loud and a little obnoxious. His hairs a little messy and his smile is also sort of gorgeous. His voice has an accent, a northern twang that is unmistakable amongst the rest of the class.

It might be a combination of all three things, really.

It might also be the fact that PJ can’t shake a feeling. It’s sort of indescribable. He doesn’t exactly know what it is, but when he’s around Chris he just can’t shake it. It lingers; almost like a second skin. Virtually unnoticeable. But it’s there, and if he didn’t have a better way to describe it, he’d say it was almost drawing him in.  

And yeah, maybe it might be attraction. Because PJ is only human and damn, Chris has definitely got to be one of the most attractive guys he has ever laid eyes on.

But he’s not so sure. Because while he’s been attracted to others before, it doesn’t feel quite like this.

He could almost swear there is some kind of pull.

-

PJ decides to keep his distance, even though Chris doesn’t exactly make it easy. The boy shares almost all of his classes, except for algebra. Hell, he doesn’t even like maths, but it’s the only time he can seem to think straight.

It’s not exactly like he can help it though. It almost irks PJ that he doesn’t know what is up with Chris. Every moment he has, he concentrates. Trying to exactly discover what it is about this guy that makes him so different. It’s not simple. He can’t just go and ask someone, because they don’t exactly have the ability to sense moods or see auras. Except this isn’t even really either of those. It’s something else. Something completely indescribable.

And it’s driving PJ crazy.

-

“Pair up!”

A small chorus of groans erupt from the class. PJ can’t blame them. He hates working with others on graded assignments, especially in science. Sure he isn’t that great at chemistry himself but there are a hell of a lot of others in the class that are a lot worse than him, and knowing his luck, one of them will try and get paired together.

“PJ?”

The northern tone snaps PJ out of his daze. Chris is standing beside him, small smile on his face as he gives an awkward sort of wave.

“Hi?” PJ replies back in the same sort of tone.

“Do you want to pair up? I know he haven’t spoken much yet, but maybe you’d like to do the project together anyway? Word of warning, I’m a bit shit when it comes to anything science related.”

PJ laughs; a mix between genuine and nervous. “Way to sell yourself.”

“Business management is never going to be a subject I’ll willingly choose either.”

“You didn’t elect Chemistry?”

Chris groans. “God no. It was one of the only spots available when I transferred. It was this or physics. I thought chem would be the better option, however I’m not so sure after our last test.”

The teacher pesters the class to hurry up, starting to elect pairs herself. Chris gives him a hopeful look, and yeah there is definitely no way that PJ is going to turn him down.

“Can you set up the Bunsen burner?” PJ asks, handing Chris a coat and a pair of safety glasses.

Nodding Chris complies, pulling out the equipment from the storage container under the bench. He sets it up as PJ reads over the assignment.

Then it happens. The irresistible pull changes; coming off in a wave stronger than ever before. PJ freezes, movement’s still as his eyes trail upwards.

The glow is different to anything PJ has seen before. It’s bright, somewhat blinding and almost metallic. It’s red and orange with the smallest bit of yellow that almost looks gold. It settles around the wider part of Chris’ purple and blue aura, almost outshining it.

Somehow, PJ manages to avert his eyes away, blocking out the colour and starting at Chris. The brunette’s eyes are locked on the flame in front of him, burning brightly. A mix of colours similar to Chris’ actual aura.

PJ’s mouth goes dry. Chris looks at him, slight confusing crossing his face as he notices that look that PJ is giving him.

“Everything alright?”

It takes a moment for PJ to respond, as he watches the metallic aura fades away as quickly as it appeared.

“Yeah, perfect.”

That couldn’t really be any further from the truth.

-

After the first encounter things change and suddenly PJ is spending a lot more time with Chris and a lot less time to himself. In some weird way, he and Chris just seem to work. Their personalities mix and clash in some strange sort of perfect combination. There is a part of PJ that worries, that maybe this isn’t a good idea. Because he doesn’t know exactly what he feels or precisely what he saw those few weeks ago in class.

But he can’t really help it, because Chris is the perfect mix of sarcastic and sweet. His humour causes PJ to smile more times than he cares to count during the day. And most of the time, he gets this fluttery feeling in his stomach that he refuses to believes is attraction.

Because he can’t be attracted to Chris.

That is way too complicated.

And yeah, he knows he likes guys. That isn’t anything new. Sure, he’s never fallen for someone so fast, even with all the crushes he has had before.

But he can’t date anyone, because that isn’t fair. Not when he can sense their feelings from a mile away.

Even if he did concentrate on switching it off, blocking out all the colours and auras and feelings like he is usually able to do. There’s still the fact that he has to do all of those things in the first place. And what if Chris found out? He’d probably run a mile off because no matter what, being able to see what someone else is feeling isn’t exactly normal boyfriend material.

It isn’t any sort of normal material at all.

So friends is more than okay with him right now.

Even if deep down, it also kind of isn’t.

-

It takes him what feels like forever to figure out. But one day he gets it.

The feeling washes over him again, just as strong as the first time. He’s outside Chris’ door, a surprise visit because he’s bored and popping round at each other’s house after school or on the weekend is quickly becoming a regular thing.

So he opens the door without a second thought.

Chris’ legs are crossed upon his bed. Palms out an amber flame presses against the skin. It only takes a second before Chris realises. His eyes wide as the flame extinguishes itself.

“That’s not possible,” PJ breaths.

Because no one can control fire. Just like no one can see auras.

Except apparently. They can.

“I can, Peej- I can explain!” The words fly out of Chris mouth. PJ can see the hysteria rolling off him in waves. His aura changing from its beautiful red to a deeper, darker colour entwined with grey. “It was, it’s not what it looks like. I don’t, uh, fuck…it was a joke?”

Except PJ knows it’s not. Even if he couldn’t see the frantic look plastered all over Chris’ face, the auras don’t lie and neither do feelings.

“Chris it’s alright,” PJ says. “Let me show you something too.”

PJ concentrates and wills a change. He focuses on the fear inside Chris and pushes it aside, replacing it with something much calmer than before.

He sees Chris’ chest move slower, his breath evening out from the rapid state it was once in. His eyes lacing with confusion as he looks at PJ.

“I’m feeling oddly calm and I seriously don’t know why. Because I’m pretty sure I should be freaking the fuck out right now.”

PJ nods, nerves filling his own body. He takes a deep breath. “Yeah it’s uh, it’s me doing that. Actually. I’m an empath. Meaning in short, that I can control people’s emotions.”

Those words have never been spoken to anyone besides his family before and for a moment it feels PJ with a small sense of fear but also a greater sense of freedom.

“You…you’re doing this to me right now?”

“I promise all I’m doing is easing off the hysteria. Everything else is your own feelings.”

Chris doesn’t say anything for a moment. He just looks at PJ, staring directly at him.

“Uh, so. I guess that mean’s I don’t have to make up some ridiculously unbelievable excuses about how I managed to produce flames from my palms then, right?”

PJ smiles. “You could try but I’d know you were lying.”

Chris whistles. “That’s kind of amazing.”

“So is having the ability to control fire.”

And after a few minutes, when Chris offers to demonstrate his abilities, the brilliant glow of golds and metallic reds and oranges is the only thing that matters.  

[sin-n-city]

Epilogue

Ethereal: Epilogue

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 778

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue, previous chapter and masterpost

Notes: Here it is. The Epilogue! It really hasn't sunk in yet. I somehow managed to write an entire story. Excuse me while I pinch myself a few times.Like I said last chapter. Thank you all so SO much for reading and messaging me. I never, ever imagined to get as much love and support for this story as I have. So seriously, thank you!

Oh, and did I mention there will be some one-shots in the future for this universe? Because that's a thing. The Ethereal Universe is not completely over yet (read: i'm too attached to my own make-believe universe to actually let go). So if anyone has anything in particular they would like me to write about, shoot me a message on tumblr. I'm always open to suggestions and inspiration.

And if you wish really, really, really hard there might even be a sequel. 

 As always, enjoy :)

“Okay, wait so. You’re telling me that PJ went all glow-y and like, anime style epic. Whilst I was completely unconscious. And you failed to mention this until now, literally a week later…because? Like, excuse me but I think that’s kind of fucking important detail to mention.”

Chris’ voice calls out across the room. He has a slightly exasperated look on his face, arms flailing around with a bit too much emphasis.

“Why’s it important?” Phil asks. He reaches forward, grabbing the slice of pizza set out in the middle of the lounge room. His hand tugs on Dan’s as he leans forward, fingers grasped together.

“It’s kind of hot, like, I can just imagine what he would have looked like. Damn. I think that’s something I should have been told sooner.”

Chris chucks PJ a suggestive smirk, wiggling his eyebrow twice. Dan has the urge to throw the slice of pizza at him. It’d be a bit of a waste though, even if the end result of a pissed of Chris would probably be worth the sacrifice.

“Keep your kinks to yourself,” Dan warns. “There is so much information about your sex life that I could have happily lived my entire life without knowing.”

Phil laughs beside him, halfway through a bite of pizza. He lets of a slight chocking noise, attempting to swallow around his laughter.

“He is literally incapable of keeping his mouth shut,” PJ murmurs, shaking his head. Dan can see the smallest tug of a smile on the corner of PJ’s lips.

“That’s not what you were saying last night.”

PJ groans, any previous amusement instantly leaving. Dan also manages to choke on his food in a slightly undignified way.

“For the love of God.”

Chris smirks, eyes gleaming. “Hmmmhmm, that’s a little more like it. Keep going, you’ll get there eventually.”

Dan chucks his shoe at him, landing perfectly on target as it whacks Chris directly in the middle of the forehead. He can see the mass look of satisfaction amongst his friends faces.

Phil laughs as Chris rubs his head with a slightly dejected look. “Seriously, using telekinesis is not okay. It’s legitimately cheating. No one actually can have that level of accuracy normally.”

Dan shrugs, smiling. “Don’t make yourself such an easy target then.”

“I’m pretty sure everything is a relatively easy target when you can, you know, move things with your mind.” Phil points out. Chris gives an enthusiastic nod. He chucks the shoe back towards Dan only to have freeze in mid-air and fall just short of him, hitting the carpet with a small thump.

“Cheater,” he mumbles, picking absentmindedly at a slice of pepperoni as he comes to terms with his small defeat.

Dan grins, winking at Chris as an added mock insult.

He shifts his attention back to the couch, the movie capturing everyone’s attention as they chow down on the delicious and greasy food in front of him. He moves, fingers releasing this hold with Phil’s own. Phil gives him a sideways glance, looking at him questionably. Dan stretches out, arm reaching over Phil’s shoulders and tugging him against his side.

Grinning, Phil complies, soft smile on his lips as he goes back with watching the film. Both of them ignore Chris as he makes mock gagging noising from the other sofa.

He glances to the side, fifteen minutes or so later. PJ and Chris are sprawled out in a similar scenario to Dan’s and Phil’s own. Chris’ back presses into PJ’s chest, legs hanging of the end of the couch. Dan smirks, mimicking Chris’ earlier remarks with a small gag of his own. PJ smiles from his position, eyes never leaving the screen, arm rubbing his wrist before placing his hand on top of his boyfriends. Chris moves against PJs chest in his own small protest to Dan’s remark. Pretending to make himself more comfortable.

Dan laughs, head shaking as he looks away. He doesn’t think he would have his friends any other way.

-

When he craws into bed later. Phil cuddled up by his side. The world seems smaller. Safer. He sighs, pushing himself further into the warm body beside him.

He listens to Phil’s breathing beside him, luring him into sleep. Chris’ faint snore can be heard from the room over. His head tucks again Phil’s own, arm draped around his waist.

Everything’s changed. The weight’s gone from his shoulders; vanished into thin air like it never even existed.

There’s a smile on his face, lips pressed right up against Phil’s skin.

And right now, in this moment, he has never been happier about breaking his equivalent exchange. Cardinal rule be dammed.

[sin-n-city]

Luminous

Ethereal Chapter Twenty Seven: Luminous

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 5,458 (my god i’m sorry this chapter just got away from me)

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue, previous chapter and masterpost

Notes: This is it guys. The final chapter and it's a whooper (seriously this chapter destroyed me, I couldn’t bring myself to end it! It’s longer then a few of my one-shots). 

I just want to thank everyone for reading and supporting me through this entire journey. For those lovely comments that kept me motivated and encouraged me to continue writing until the forbidden AM’s.

Not gonna lie, I've fallen a bit in love with writing this story. It's feels so weird for it to be over. Hope you have enjoyed reading this, just as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

So here, take it! The final official chapter of Ethereal (yes there will be an epilogue!).

Enjoy C:

The morning is a mix of emotions. The day seems to slow down and speed up all at the same time. Dan tries not to over think it. It’s Phil’s idea; to spend the morning how they usually would. It works, sort of. For a few moments Dan feels like nothing is different. Like he is carefree and happy just being here with Phil. Like nothing is different and he can just be content, next to one of the most important people in the world.

Then there are moments when there are also tears in Dan’s eyes. When he says goodbye to his family before they head round to Phil’s for the remainder of the morning. Phil gives Dan’s hand a light squeeze. Silent encouragement. It’s something, but part of Dan feels like it almost isn’t enough.

He misses those lighthearted moments. When his life seemed so much more simple and easy. Video games with his friends, pizza nights with lazy sleep ins. Now everything feels different. Everything is tainted by the thoughts that linger in his mind, subconsciously controlling everything he does. There are moments where he feels as though this can’t be real. That this strange turn of events can’t be happening. Then there are moments –more recently then ever- where he feels like he’s trapped. Like he has no choices and the inevitability of what is to come is looming over his head in some sort of sick torment.

It isn’t long before the afternoon rolls around. The morning is spent in a haze. Filled with video games and YouTube and kisses, but all with a numb sort of attachment. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, they make their way over to Chris’. Their agreed rendezvous point, the closest to their dreaded destination.

“Anxious?” Phil questions. Dan pulls back, realizing his hand has clamped a little too tightly at some point during his whirlwind of thoughts. He releases his grip a bit, hand still lightly entwined with Phil’s own. He gives Phil a small nod and Phil gives him a surprising sympathetic look, running his thumb against the back of Dan’s hand.

“Everything will be over soon,” Phil mentions, and although the words shouldn’t be comforting, they are. It’s a reminder of what he needs. That one way or another, they’ll all find out exactly what’s going on. They’ll know exactly who these people are and what they want. In an hour this tension will be gone. In an hour, everything will be over and all of this will hopefully be some hazy forgotten memory.

“So, like, that’s it, then?” Chris asks as he opens the door.

“That’s what?” Phil asks, as he vaguely glances around in an attempt to understand what the brunette is referring to.

“I was expecting a little bit more, ya know,” Chris shrugs. “Suits of armor, hidden weapons. A wand.”

Dan stares at him for a moment. “A wand?”

Chris grins. “Yeah, something just to like, amp it up a bit.  Dumbledore’s army or some shit like that. Let’s be honest, some cool ass looking weapon to go with our abilities with be kind of awesome. How about some ninja moves, chuck some shuriken in with a fire bolt. You know. Anything really.”

PJ moves into sight, just beyond the doorway, “if you wanted to develop some sort of skill you shouldn’t have quit taekwondo seven years ago.”

“I think yellow belt two stripes was pretty impressive. I believe that makes me the most valuable team member out of the lot of ya.”

“For a twelve year old, maybe.” PJ admits and Chris scoffs, fake annoyance littered on his face.

For a moment everything feels normal. Dan laughs, his face in a grin that mimics everyone else’s. For a split second everything’s back to how it should be. How they all should be.

An alarm chimes on PJ’s phone. Dan grimaces, his face quickly changing morphing into the opposite expression it once was. There isn’t much time left anymore.

Phil zips up his coat, previously having just gone to take it off. There is a small silence as everyone soaks in exactly what it means.  

“You don’t actually have a weapon, do you, Chris?” Dan jokes, but he finds himself wondering if maybe some sort of weapon, no matter how absurd it actually sounds, wouldn’t actually be a bad idea.

“No need, I can blow shit up remember?” Chris replies, taking his backpack off the rack and shoving it on. “I am the secret weapon.”

“I’m pretty sure the definition of a secret requires your abilities to be, well, a secret.” PJ retorts.

“Do you think the part where you shot fire towards other people ruined that element at all?” Phil retorts.

Chris shrugs, “only a little bit.”

“If anything Phil would have been, could have been,” Dan comments. “Before he discovered his abilities anyway. That probably would have come in real handy.”  

PJ’s phone chimes again, ringtone going off just as loudly as before.

“I set another one just in case, well, this happened.” PJ admits, and yeah maybe they were all intentionally prolonging the inevitable for a bit longer.

“Better head off, I suppose,” Phil says. Dan lets out a deep breath as everyone begins to shuffle out the door. The plan is to get there a bit early. Scope the area out momentarily and make sure everything is okay. Whatever okay actually means, is another thing entirely.

PJ is out the door first, pausing for a moment for everyone else to follow in suit. It feels weirdly natural. Like PJ is leading them into battle. Like it’s his place to do so. Dan frowns, it’s not exactly a thought any normal teenager should be thinking. Yet here they are, trudging down the familiar set of pathways in an almost eerie silence.

It’s not a horrible day. It isn’t raining, which is sort of a benefit to Chris, but then again, it’s also sort of a disadvantage to Phil.

Dan watches as Chris nudges PJ’s shoulder playfully in front on them, and Dan knows it Chris’ weird way of showing affection and support. He smiles, glancing at Phil from the corner of his eye, and is sure that he notices it too. The truth is, they’ve gone through just as many hardships. Everything is a bit different, almost difficult, but at the same time those words are too ambiguous. It’s easy to see the strain among everyone. Dan almost wonders how no one else has noticed. It seems so obvious. Chris’ slightly less cocky attitude, PJ’s worry that almost constantly ghosts his face. In fact, Dan can’t even remember the last time PJ got up Chris for snickering after a perverse joke. But maybe that’s just because Dan feels as though he has known them his entire life.

It’s weird. A sense of solemnity and ease as they walk. And it feels that maybe, with them all together like they are, things might be okay.

The edge of the park arrives almost quicker then Dan expects it too. He expects them to hesitate, take a moment to glance around before stepping inside the entrance to the tree littered fields. However they don’t. PJ leads them straight ahead, down the path they and into the begging area of the tree filled area. The trees are somewhat unnerving, and even though Dan knows these people are waiting just a few meters away, he can’t help but think of everything else that happened here. Everything that happened to get them to this point.

And most of them, really aren’t that bad.

The forest becomes denser, the path getting smaller and pointing in a few different directions. The creek is gradually becoming louder, birds singing in the trees as though they know nothing of the events to come. Somehow, it’s a little bit calming. And Dan can’t help but think, that if these are going to be the last moments of his life, walking through a forest with three of the people he cares the most about, is not such a bad thing.  

Phil’s hand bumps against his as they continue. Just the press of each of their knuckles against, occasionally touching. Its reassurance and Dan knows that they all need this right now. And oddly enough, as they enter towards the thicker area of the reserve, a sense of calm washes over him. One that PJ doesn’t take any part of.

He bites his lip as PJ stops just short of the clearing. The water is trickling behind them, flowing through. It’s not as peaceful as usual. It ripples faster than usual. Dan thinks that, on some small scale, it might be reacting to Phil.

PJ and Chris grind to the halt in front of them. Just before they reach the edge of their –somewhat dreaded- destination.

“What?” Phil whispers, pausing his movements just behind them.

“So much for the element of surprise.” Chris announces, his head jerking slightly towards that area before them.

“Stick to the plan, alright?” PJ murmurs.

Dan’s mind reels. The plan, is to stick together at all costs. It’s not exactly fool proof. He can feel the anxiety settling in, it flashes upon him like a sudden storm one moment, and then is slowly ebbing away and fading the next.

It’s PJ’s doing.

“Ready?” PJ asks.

Dan counts to three, the words echoing in his mind before he watches everyone take a step into the clearing.

It’s not a neat cut circle. Rocks litter the ground, some standing out largely. Patches of green grass are in between lining the outer circle of trees. In the middle are three people and Dan’s mind reels as he realizes he’s seen these individuals before.

One girl sits down, her legs stretched before her as she glances around somewhat meaninglessly, blonde hair tasseled out behind her. Her blue eye catch his own momentarily, light blue and glassy. The figure to her right moves slightly, brown eyes watching them somewhat narrowly.  He smiles at them, as though it should be some greeting, but it looks wrong. Almost cocky and arrogant.

They continue walking, the sun barely giving enough light under a set of clouds. It’s been a rather dreary day and Dan’s mind can’t help but feel as though once again, the weather is representing their situation almost perfectly.

Dan’s eyes however are locked with another. The piercing bright green is hard to forget. It’s almost implanted in his mind and he doesn’t know how or why and his mind reels. Trying to remember where, because it seems like so much more than the obvious. This guy isn’t the same as he thinks. The eyes are the same, that’s for sure. He’s seen them when he was with Phil and had his mini freak out. But it’s different.

He can’t quite place it.

“You rang?” Chris’s voice quips, sarcastic and dry. “Or should I say, demanded, kidnapped? How about threatened? They all seem to apply right now. Which one would you prefer I use?”

Dan doesn’t know if he wants to hit Chris or kiss him for being so bold.  

“I suppose they all work,” green-eyes states. “Although I do prefer to use the term invited. After all, we are here to discuss something rather important.”

“And that would be?” PJ asks as boldly as Chris had spoken before him. Dan’s not sure where this confidence is coming from. But I suppose, as they saying goes; fake it till you make it. He’s more than confident that’s exactly what’s happening.

The guy just smiles, taking a step forward from behind the other two. Dan’s not sure if he should be worried. They seem to be rather un-phased, watching with what almost appears to be practiced ease. The girl continues to sit there, picking at the grass as though it is far more interesting than the conversation currently around her.

“Straight to the point then?” The guy looks amused, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “Most of the others don’t really do that. There is usually a lot of rambling before that happens. All nerves, of course. You don’t appear to be that worried, however. I’m unsure as to whether that is because of your personalities or more say, manipulation.”

Dan’s mouth goes dry. Others?

He notices his friends go stiff. Coming to the same conclusion.

“So I guess that makes this whole experience a regular occurrence then. Some sort of twisted hobby?” Chris practically spits. His words are a force of their own, practically laced with venom. Dan can almost feel the blood starting to pound in his veins. The tingling sensation running through his veins on high alert. His powers are aching to surface, to defend.

The girl, previously situated on the floor presses upwards until she stands. She turns away from the group surrounding her and glances directly at each of the four of them. Eyes lingering over each of them for a few seconds.

“Look, we just want to make you an offer.” She says.

There is silence for a second, and Dan speaks before he even realises it. “And that would be?”

“A chance to learn. We offer experience and expertise for individuals with particular abilities and it would appear that the four of you have some interesting things to share.”

“Learn about what?” Phil asks, piping up. Dan can hear the slightest bit of curiosity in his voice. In fact, despite the circumstances, there is some within his own mind. After all, the four of them know next to nothing about their abilities. Apart from what they have learned to do. They don’t know how they got them, or if there was a reason.

She gives Phil a look, a mix between smug and pleased.

“Did you know that a lot of people have abilities? A vast majority, actually. They just don’t realise it. Usually it’s passed as a weird thing that infrequently happens, that they feel and can’t always explain. Something that doesn’t fully develop. Or even something that has and they don’t know it. For example, fortune. Those who are ‘lucky’ more commonly then most actually aren’t, in fact, just lucky. It’s generally a form of probability manipulation. Most people go through their entire lives without knowing it.”

“What’s more interesting though, is those whose powers actually develop. Those who have the chance to manifest and change. People, like us. Individuals with stronger powers, those who are able to manipulate and control them with their own will. Now that, those abilities. They are a lot rarer. ”

Her hand rises up, palms unclenching. Dan’s breathe catches. As she open her palm the blades of grass fall. But before they even reach half way to the ground, a loud crack is heard. A flash of light appears from the girl’s hand, aimed right at the blades and incinerating them.

Lightening.

Both Phil and Chris flinch slightly, a small jerk of an arm at the sudden demonstration.

“And of that. Physical powers are more common than those that rely on mental abilities only. Generally, those don’t tend to manifest in such, intense levels, you could say.”

“Which made you a difficult fucker to invade, that’s for sure.” His green eyes sparkles, as though he enjoyed the challenge. “My Oneirokinesis didn’t stand a chance. You’re the first person I’ve come across who could block out my dream manipulation. What is it, by the way? A mental shield? With an ability to implant it on others too. It’s impressive. Takes a lot of my concentration to surpass it, even with the three of them.”

Dan glances at PJ. It’s the first he’s heard of anything like this. PJ has never been able to do anything outside his empathy, at least to all their knowledge. He can see the small look of surprise on PJ’s face. Hidden, mostly. But Dan knows him too well. The small twitch of his right hand gives it all away. It’s as though PJ had no idea himself.  Dan’s not sure what that could even mean. How could PJ do something he knew nothing about?

“Plenty of things you don’t know about us.” Chris comments and it sounds a little bit like a threat. A large part of Dan hopes that the three opposite them find it intimidating.

The blonde lets out a small laugh, smiling at Chris. “Like-wise.”

Chris retorts. “Rather confident for someone who spent the majority of their time invading other people’s minds before revealing themselves. Rather coward like, actually.”

The girl’s eyes narrow slightly. Her fake smile faltering for a moment. It whips back into place, her eyes glancing back over to the green-eyed man as her move her right shoulder pointedly in his direction.

“We had to make sure you were the real deal before we extended the offer. After all, this is an all or nothing deal and we don’t extend it to just everyone. Luke makes sure of that.”

“We want you to join us.”

This time the brown-eyed man speaks and for some reason his voice sends shivers down Dan’s spine.  He could swear that the temperature drops a few degrees. Wind whipping around for a moment.

PJ replies, only skipping a small beat. “Which would involve?”

“Sharing our beliefs,” he replies.  “We’re the same. Different powers but we share the same beliefs, have the same fears.”

Dan eyes him suspiciously.

“You’ve felt it, you can’t deny it.” The blonde comments, “you’ve been worried about getting caught out. Worried someone will discover what you can do and something negative will happen because of it. People who don’t understand. They think you’re a freak, that you’re dangerous. And their right. What do you think is going to start happening when people catch onto what you are? Who says they don’t already know.”

She speaks with venom in her voice, laced within every single word.

“And then what? We let them take us off for experimentation? Kill us off one by one? Let them use us against our will? Contain us one by one? What then?”

Phil questions, one hand slightly pressed into his side. “That’s happening? Right now? Are there…do people know?”

The blond flicks her wrist again. Lightening appearing in a flash before vanishing a quickly as it arrived.

“Not that we know of.”

Dan gets a dreadful feeling, his gut wrenching as though he knows the exact words that are about to be spoken.

“Which is why we need to get in first.”

The words wash over Dan like a splash of cold water. They want to strike first. Their building up a team, an elite specialist force. That’s why they want the four of them.

Chris’ laugh is the only sound the follows, somehow a mix between genuine and forced. Like he finds this situation the most absurd thing in the universe.

“And what? You want a bunch of high school teens to go on a fucking killing spree based upon your deluded theory? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Pitch the crazy to someone else. We’re not interested.”

Three pairs of eyes narrow on Chris. Dan can feel his body physically convulse, his abilities practically screaming within his flesh.

“It is Chris, right?” She asks, almost mockingly. “You seem to miss the point here. It’s not a question of age, or gender or any type of shit like that, that has nothing to do with anything. In fact it’s not even a real question. Because you don’t really have a choice. You either agree, flip that little switch of yours, that stupid moral compass. Understand what you’d be fighting for. Or you don’t. And then, well. Let’s say if your abilities aren’t going to be of use to us, then they aren’t going to be of use at all.”

The four of them freeze, words washing over them like a tidal wave.

“Exterminate them before they exterminate us.”

No one speaks, silence filling the air. The creek rapidly moving in the background is the only thing to be heard. There’s a brief moment where Dan wonders why the birds aren’t chirping. Even they don’t appear to want to be anywhere near here.

“Then again, if your own lives aren’t enough incentive, how about those of your family?”

Green-eyes speaks again, all heads snapping towards him in attention. Dan inwardly screams. Not his family. Not his mum and dad and not Adrian. Not his family.

“Any volunteers?”

Stick to the plan, stick to the plan.

“I do. I’ll join.”

Chris takes a step forward, a distinctive gap between him and the rest of the ground.

“Chris!” PJ’s voice rings out. His hand reaching out and grasping Chris’ upper arm. Chris steps away, taking another step away from the others and towards those he had been completely against only a minute ago.

He doesn’t turn around, refusing to look back. “I can’t…I- not my family. Not my mum and dad. I won’t do that. They’re not a part of this. I won’t let them get involved. This is our fuck up and I’m not letting them anywhere near this. This isn’t something they can clean up. I won’t let them, not after everything they’ve already had to do.”

“You can’t, Chris,” PJ’s voice is desperate, urgent and pleading. Dan’s never heard him so raw. His heart pounds in his chest. Beating fast then he thought was humanly possible. He can’t talk as the events unfold before him.

“Chris,” Phil tries, his voice shaking.

Ignoring them, Chris continues forward. Taking slow yet determined steps towards the enemy group.

Dan can hear the smug underdone in her voice as she talks. “Anyone else?”

Chris takes his place standing slightly behind the others, refusing to meet eye contact. Out of the corner of Dan’s eye, he can see PJ visibly trembling.  

“No,” PJ flat-tones. He doesn’t spare a glance towards Dan or Phil. “No one-else.”

His eyes bore directly onto the others, specifically at Chris, who glances up momentarily and makes contact. He bites his lip, looking off to the side to avoid PJ’s glare.

“It’s a shame, to see such abilities go to waste like this.”

Dan glances towards the girl, her eye glistening with something he has never seen before. The familiar crack appears, her right hand glowing in a mix of blues, purples and bright white light.

Stick to the plan.

Chris looks up, looking directly at Phil and gives a small nod, almost impossible to notice if you weren’t looking for it in the first place.

Flames alight on Chris’ palms, a strong flicking ember flame. He hurls them forward, palms rising directly at bodies beside him as he punches the air. He’s aiming directly to at the blonde, with immense accuracy. It ebbs outwards, perfectly on target, fire aimed perfectly, spiraling outward in a strong, long continuous flame.

Dan’s eyes widen as he watches.

Suddenly there is a strong burst of wind, directly pointed in the opposite direction. Its faint blue creates an orb of its own, dispersing from alongside them. It flickers with the flames, knocking them backwards and dispersing them in the air. Chris jolts back, another gust forming out of his palm quicker than before. It hits Chris head on, knocking him backwards ad skidding along the ground.

Dan whips his head around.

“You little bitch,” the blonde sneers, the lightening flashing in her palm as though it directly reacts to her anger.

She doesn’t have time to say anything else. The area breaks into chaos. Phil moves his hands, water appearing and floating around him. It flows up from the lake, curling around his body before it pushes forward.  Gliding through the air at tremendous speed, it hits her head on, knocking her to the side in a similar fashion to Chris.

“Elisha,” the brunette growls towards the blonde.

Dan watches her pull herself up. Electricity convolses off her, surrounding her body. From the corner of his eye he can see Chris block an attack from the brunette. Chris move his hands, blocking it with a wall of fire in front of him, that disperses each attach as they come.

The lightening pushes forward, aimed at Phil. Dan’s abilities swirl inside him and screaming at him to do something. He focuses; wills himself to attack. To help. That’s all it takes, the ground becomes one, rocks that litter the ground on front of him hurl forward. Phil’s water pushes forward in a heavy stream. It pauses in front of him like a wave, freezing right before the bolt of energy hits it.

Another volt pushes forward, this time towards Dan as Elisha sees the incoming attack. She pushes herself back up, crawling backwards. Dan can see the anger in her eyes. It practically pours out of her, as she seethes. The bolts convulse one by one, blocking each of Dan’s moves, shattering the rocks into small pieces before they manage to hit her.

Dan casts a glance at Phil out of the corner of his eye. The water on front of him disperses, transforming from ice into water. It circles him once, wrapping around his body like a second layer. Dan’s eyes widen in response. They have a plan.

Douse her.

Focusing again, Dan’s eye scatter around. His telekinesis aches inside him, surging with each use. He locks on, willing the larger rock dug into the ground behind Elisha to move. It lifts, springing free from the ground and into the air with ease. It moves forward, directly towards the target. A gust of wind picks up around them, pushing against Dan. His feet dig into the ground, trying to anchor him.

Elisha’s eyes whip around, seeing the boulder at the last moment. Her electricity surges forward, knocking the boulder back with a huge bolt. The distraction is all Phil needs, his water springs towards her. Wrapping around her in large bolts. It douses her in water, smothering her body in the absence of her electrical shield. The water freezes in a split second, her body trapped between the layers of water.

“PJ,” Phil speaks and Dan finally looks over into his direction. He’s still, glancing directly into the eyes of the other man. Neither of them blink and Dan feels dread wash over him for a second as PJ is unable to respond.

Heat ruses over Dan, a large burst of orange filling his peripheral vision. Fire spirals outwards, splitting into two as a gust of winder pushes through it. The beam moves, crashing into Chris’ counter attack. It continues through, dispersing it completing. The flames lose control, char marks scorching the ground.

In a split second the wind picks up, whipping at tremendous speed towards Chris in a strong blue glow. It crashes into him, knocking him backwards. Chris falls through the air, slightly upwards.

Dan’s eyes widen. It happens in slow motion. Chris hits the tree. His back directly hitting the bottom of the tree trunk. His head whips back on the impact, crashing into the bark. He falls onto the ground, collapsing onto his side.

“CHRIS!” Dan’s voice screams out. Phil freezes up beside him. The wind is pulled out from his lungs. A large body of water moves towards Chris’ opponent. Dan doesn’t think, a large pointed broken branch on the ground floats on its own accord in a similar fashion towards Phil’s. It hits his opponent, head on, the pointed end sticking his hand at tremendous speed. It breaks through the skin, piercing the flesh on his upper right arm a second before he is swept up by water. The water washes over him, strong streams pushing him into the ground. They continue relentlessly, pushing him along the ground.

The water pools around him, draining onto the floor; red seeping into it from the injury.

The guy momentarily clenches his forearm, blood covering his Tee-shirt. The water wraps around his hands, freezing in a tight restraint, locking his arms and legs security in place. He collapses flat onto the floor, breath wheezing out in heavy rasps.

“Chris.”

PJ’s voice calls out.

Dan glances at Chris, who lays motionless on the ground. Phil is running towards him and Dan can hear his own heartbeat within his ears.

“It’s over for him.”

Freezing, Dan’s eyes widen. A black aura surrounds the man, covering his entire body. It pulsates around him, as though it is moving on its own, an individual entity. The aura appears around Chris, consuming his body in the same way. Phil jolts backwards, his hands hovering just above the ominous black colour surrounding his friend.

Stomach twisting, the bile rises in Dan’s throat.

“He’s not breathing.”

Phil almost screams the words.

“Die in a dream, die in real life.”

His words are twisted, laced with a kind of sickness Dan has never heard before. He can’t move, the fear and panic causing through his veins freezing him completely.

“Chris.”

PJ’s voice booms. Dan feels the power course through his own body, washing over him in a sensation he has never felt before. His eyes lock onto PJs. Breath catching in Dan’s throat as he watches. His eyes are glowing, bright green. Shining in an inhuman way. A green glow flashes into his vision, blinding him for a moment as it surrounds PJ. It pulsates, engulfing him entirely.

It pulsates once more, before spreading. The glow surrounds Chris, lacing onto his skin. It beats out, over-taking the darkness that had moments ago consumed him and illuminating him in the bright green glow.

A piercing scream fills the air, jolting Dan back into reality. It lasts for a single second, before silence consuming the area again.

Dan watches as he falls to the ground, eye flashing the same green as PJ’s before turning to black. It lasts about as long as the scream, before it fades away.

A thud echoes, the man laying unmoving on the floor.

PJ’s eyes close for a split second, blinking. The glow fades, ebbing away almost as quickly as it came. Flashing away before their very sight. His chest heave, panting in slightly ragged breaths. The surge of foreign power disappears, leaving Dan’s body completely.

Phil speaks, the tone of his voice mixed. “PJ?”

His eyes are locked onto Chris, whose chest is moving again.

Relief floods through Dan’s veins.

“He’s okay,” Phil practically whispers. “He’s breathing again. Unconscious but- PJ how did you?”

PJ’s voice is tight as he answers. “I don’t really know. I just, it’s as though my powers took control. It coursed through me in a way I’ve never felt before. He was inside Chris’ head. Almost Physically. It’s hard to describe but I could see it- see them. He was suffocating Chris in his dream.”

All eyes follow PJ’s. Landing on the body.

“Is he…?”

PJ’s shakes his head.

“I blocked him out, but in the process, it trapped him in his own dream. He’s stuck. He’s not going to wake up.”

The words echo inside Dan’s head.  

PJ’s voice changes, threatening in a way Dan has never heard it before.

“That could have been you.”

Elisha and the green-eyed man freeze, PJ’s words washing over them. The water unfreezes, the restraints Phil formally placed on them reverting back to their original form.

Elisha nods once, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

He doesn’t need to say anymore. Dan knows exactly what it means, and so do they.

“Dan?” Phil asks. “Do you think you could help carry Chris?”

The adrenalin kicks in again, a reminder to Dan’s system. Chris is still unconscious and they need to get him out. He nods once, heading over behind PJ who is already making long strides towards his boyfriend’s body.

PJ carefully places an arm under his body, pulling Chris up onto his side. He drapes an arm over his shoulder supporting it with his right hand. The other wraps around his waist. Dan follows in suit, copying PJ’s movements on the other side of Chris’ body.

He anchors his power, using his telekinesis to help lift the dead weight of his friend.

Two pairs of eye follow them, unmoving from their spot on the ground. Phil falls into step beside Dan, letting out a small sign as they make it back onto the path, surrounded by trees.

Chris groans, his head rolling forwards slightly.

“He’s going to have a killer head ache,” Phil murmurs.

Dan lets out a laugh, and Phil looks at him strangely. Suddenly, all the tension drains from his shoulders. All Dan wants to do is lean across and kiss him.

Which is harder than it sounds given Chris’ close proximity.

Smile on his lips, Dan does it anyway.

[sin-n-city]

Guess who finally has time to write?

Hi everyone! It just occured to me that I’ve been missing for god-knows-how-long and I should give an update. My apologies for slightly dropping off the face of the earth for a solid amount of time. However, the good news is i finally  have time to write tonight and have spent the last hour working on Ethereal (and listening to Halsey because for some reason her songs are seriously motivational and easy to write with). 

Anyway update 101: Apologies cus I’ve been so busy but i’m going to try smash out this baby asap. 

[sin-n-city]

Of Icebergs and Waves

Ethereal Chapter Twenty Six: Of Icebergs and Waves

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 2,124

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue,  previous chapter and masterpost

Notes: I think this is technically the calm before the storm...or was that last chapter?   

Side note, this is actually the second last chapter (depending on how long next chapter turns out, it might be split into 2) plus the epilogue. I don’t actually know what i’m going to do when this is over. 

But then again, sequels are a thing, right? Not that I’ve decided yet.

laurenathalasa has also made an amazing fan trailer for Ethereal. Feel free to check it out on her youtube account! Thank you so much! I’m seriously flattered that you’ve made something for my work. 

-

Dan should probably be a little worried. There’s a million things that should be on his mind, a thousand thoughts that should torment him, yet he can’t bring himself to care. Not when there when there is a warm body tucked against his own. Letting out a content sigh, Dan shifts, moving his head so it is pressing further into the warmth beside him.

Legs tangled, Phil shifts, eyes looking down and a small smile resting on his lips. It reminds Dan exactly why he is incapable of worry. “Do you think we should probably get up soon? Before somebody comes back home. I don’t think this would be an easy situation to explain.”

Phil laughs as he talks, his voice coming out a little huskier then usual and Dan internally grins. Groaning slightly at the thought of moving, Dan protests.

“I’d rather not.”

Proving a point, Dan shifts forwards a little more, pulling the blanket over his chest and cuddling into the Phil that little bit more.

Phil laughs, moving himself away whilst pushing himself into a sitting position, Dan falling down into the empty bed beside him. “What about if I offer an incentive?”

“Hmm?” Dan questions, eyebrows raised. “What kind of incentive?”

“How about a shower?”

“I think you need to look up the definitions of words before you use them, Phil.”

Grinning, Phil stands up. “I was thinking more along the lines of us showering together.”

Dan looks at him for a second, his mind going completely blank. It takes less than the moment before the sheets are ripped away from his body. Dan’s at the door before Phil even takes another step.

“Okay.”

Dan vaguely thinks that he’s never heard a better definition surrounding the word.

-

It’s almost dark by the time Phil’s phone chimes. Dan vaguely wonders why it took so long for PJ or Chris to contact them. The thoughts are soon erased as he assumes their afternoon was spent in a much similar fashion to his own. The reason behind that is the only thing that’s worrying.

They’ve put everything off for as long as they can. They all know it.

“They’re going to come over soon,” Phil announces. “Shouldn’t be longer than five minutes. They are already on their way.”

His voice is a little tight, and Dan knows that it’s all due to sudden nerves. They all know what coming. The past few hours have been denying the inevitable. A decision needs to be made, regardless of how much they have actively been trying to avoid it. Touches and kisses and promises have managed to erase their impending decision. Erased everyone from their minds for a few hours.

Dan can hear his mother downstairs, kitchen utensils cluttering together as he prepares to look a meal. A vague tune of music can be heard through the corridor, symbolising his brother’s presence in the other room. The TV downstairs alerts Dan to his father’s presence. The noises weigh heavy, his heart twinging at the thoughts of how normal everything is right now. That his family are here and alive and so unaware.

He hears footsteps shuffle beside him, vaguely registering Phil move until he is standing right before him.

“I can’t promise that things will be okay,” Phil says. “But we’re not going to let anything happen to our families. Not mine, or Chris’ or PJ’s or yours.”

Dan swallows, nodding. He knows it’s true. None of them would ever risk that. Deep down they already know the decision that is going to be made. Unless there is another option that doesn’t involve putting their families in harms ways. But at the moment, it seems almost futile.

“Yeah,” Dan agrees, “I know.”

Phil words should be comforting. In a way they sort of are, there is nothing more important than his family. But in a bigger way they are just as terrifying.

The echo of footsteps walking up the stairs and corridor indicate the arrival of Chris and PJ. Chris is first through the door. He makes himself at home immediately, leaning against the bookshelf just as PJ wonders into the room.

“Hey,” PJ greets. His voice is stable, nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone’s face is telling; they are all reluctant, and there is no point trying to pretend like everything is okay. Dan’s sure that it would be futile, most of all when PJ is able to read them as easily as a book.

“Might as well get straight to the point,” Chris says, shrugging. “Anyone willing to start off?”

“Talk about an easy Segway,” Dan jokes. It’s a little apprehensive. He was sort of hoping to put the conversation off for a little longer and by the semi-surprised looks spread across the room, so was everyone else.

“The longer we take the worse it’ll be, anyway.” Chris replies. “What’s the point in putting off the inevitable?”

Dan nods slightly in agreement. It’s true, but that doesn’t make it any better.

“It’s not like it is even going to be a decision, we don’t actually have a choice.”

PJ sighs. “Of course we do.”

Chris raises his eyebrows, a look between surprise and confusion. “Really?”

Pushing himself away from the doorframe, PJ walks towards the middle of the room, stopping just short of a side of the bed.

“We don’t have to go,” PJ admits. “But if we don’t…”

“Exactly.”

“But if we do?” Phil speaks, “what then?”

“We don’t even know what they want.” Dan admits. “Or if they even want anything.”

It’s a rather hopeful thought, but it’s not one that any of them believe.

Chris huffs, “yeah right, and them attacking me was a friendly gesture? Not a chance.”

Dan fidgets with the hem on his shirt. No one has really mentioned that so far, it’s sort of been avoided since the other night. A sensitive topic that leaves too many questions and not enough answers. Especially surrounding Chris. Their no doubt in Dan’s mind that he was far more terrified then he let on. Something like that is emotionally scaring, there is no doubt in that.

PJ’s voice leaves a longing question. “So what do you suggest we do?”

The room is still, the question lingering in the air. Dan glances around, un-uncomfortable look resting on all their faces, and yeah, they all know the answer that is pressing against the tip of their tongues.

He speaks up. “It’s four against three.”

Chris looks at him, surprise expressed within his features. As though he wasn’t expecting anyone else to just come out and say it.

“So what, you suggest we fight them? We’re four teenage boys.” PJ admits, rather uncharacteristically so. He looks stressed, Dan can’t blame him, and all of them feel the exact same way. “Even if we could hold our own, who’s to say there aren’t more of them? We don’t actually know.”

“Well we aren’t going to find out by sitting around here and waiting either.” Chris retorts. “We’re like sitting ducks. We’ve got no chance if they come after us one by one. It was easy for them to get me before. Three against one is nothing. I had practically no hope, especially when they took me by surprise. The four of us are the only chance we’ve got.”

It leaves a small twitch in Dan’s mind. It sounds like something he’s heard before. In the movies right before they go off to war, before the big battle of good vs. evil. It’s a little motivating, but to be honest, it’s much more intimidating. The fact is that there are so much unknown variables. They know practically nothing about the others and it seems like they know everything about the four of them.

“Maybe…we change it?” Phil suggests, his silence finally braking.

“Change what?” Dan questions, interest peeking through.

“Instead of letting them have the advantage, we make our own.” He explains.

Chris looks amused. “How do we do that? Because if you can think of a way, you’re about to win ‘mega brownie points’, as Mrs. Howell is so fond of saying.”

“Well they left us a phone number, right? We text them the location we want to meet at, instead of letting them decide on all the details. That way, we can use it to our own advantage.”

Dan frowns, “but where? It’s not like we have anywhere-”

Chris interrupts him, excitement taking over. “Phil, you are a fucking genius.”

“You mean our practice spot?” PJ asks and a wave of realisation washes over Dan. It makes sense, somewhere where they know the terrain. Where they might have an advantage if anything was to happen. If things went sour.

“That way we can meet them and make some sort of quick escape if something goes wrong.”

Dan laughs at the words, as though there is any other possibility. This is almost certainly going to end in a way that Dan fears. But it’s better than the alternative. Better than putting everyone else at risk. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to his family. None of them would.

“And if it does?”

The room is still once again, the question something that they have all thought about it but refused to address.

“We deal with it the same as before,” PJ clarifies. “Defend yourselves.”

Dan wonders for a moment what would actually happen. If something like that happened. What PJ would be capable to do? What Phil would be able to do? It’ not as though he has great control over his abilities yet. They have unproved, undoubtable, but he still has nowhere near the control level of himself or Chris.

PJ on the other hand is the opposite. He almost has completely control. He doesn’t have a choice but to constantly be in control. But he doesn’t know what would actually happen if it came down to it. How PJ would be able to help. He could possibly help manipulate their emotions, but maybe fear would be to their own benefit. After all, their abilities have always reacted to their emotions. Maybe he could switch it on the others. Make them afraid.

“Who’s going to do it then?” Phil asks.

“Seeing as how the number was saved into my phone, I’m guessing probably me.” Chris suggests, pulling the phone out of his pocket and unlocking the screen.

“When did you notice that?” Dan asks, unsure as to when this was actually discovered. Last he heard, there was only a letter, until Phil told him otherwise.

“I noticed it last night. I was looking through to call my mum and noticed an unknown number. There was also a message in my inbox with just the message of ‘what’s your decision?’ I’m thinking that was fairly obvious. And fucking Cliché if you ask me. They could have been a bit more original.”

Dan almost laughs. “Maybe they thought you wouldn’t have understood anything more cryptic.”

“I’ll have you know I got a B in English last year,” Chris snorts. “What am I even going to say back?”

Shuffling a little closer, Dan moves so he can look at the screen. PJ and Phil follow, all moving until they are in view of Chris’ phone.

“Maybe just saying the address?”

“Does it even have an address?” Phil questions, causing Dan to shrug.

Chris shrugs, the screen moving slightly to the left in the process.

“Just tell them, by the lake in the middle of the reserve. If they’ve entered Dan’s mind, I’m sure they will know where it is.”

That’s a reminder that Dan doesn’t want to think about. There is no telling what his guy was able to do when he was somehow inside his mind. So many things that could have happened, endless possibilities and none of them are appealing. There is nothing good that could have come from what happened.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Dan mumbles. PJ smiles at him sympathetically.

Chris interrupts after a short moment. “Sent.”

Everyone looks at the phone, eyes unable to look away. Nerves feel Dan. What if they refuse? Then they have no plan and practically no hope. This is the only thing they have going for them and it’s not much. Knowing the terrain is only a small aspect. Sure, they could defend themselves, but they don’t know what everyone else is capable of. They could be stronger, have better abilities. Even with this, they don’t really stand a chance.

But it’s better than nothing.

Chris’ phone chimes once, a reply popping up onto the screen.

Meet you at 2pm.

Suddenly everything feels too real.

There is less than 24 hours left.

“Well fuck.”

Chris manages to express exactly what they are all feeling.

[sin-n-city]

You’re Everything (To Me)

Ethereal Chapter Twenty Five: You’re Everything (To Me) 

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 3080

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue and previous chapter

Notes: The chapter is finally here (and long awaited for). God i hope you enjoy it. I spent like three nights trying to get this right (so I hope I lived up to whatever expectations everyone had). 

Enjoy! (seriously). 

-

The weight of the situation is heavy, and if seems like almost a life time ago when everything seemed so carefree and easy. It feels as though Dan has aged almost ten years from stress and worry. The situation is pressing against them, and they need to make a decision. None of them have yet, it’s just sitting unspoken, lingering in the air. They should discuss it, they need to, but the finality of it all is a reality none of them are ready to face just yet.

Dan bites his lip, he has run a hand through his hair so many times since yesterday that it’s sticking up in all directions. Phil sits across from him, books given up in a pile on the floor. They’d tried studying, as a distraction and a way to make up for missing a second day of school, but it all ended in long periods of silence and words morphing together into a page until they made no sense.

And Dan can’t really think. Not when he has a million thoughts running around in his head. He’s worried about himself, he’s worried about his friends and his family, and most importantly, he’s worried about Phil. Phil who was dragged into his whole mess because Dan somehow managed to screw up. Dan who let his abilities seep through the cracks. Who allowed leaves to float when they locked lips for the first time and how many other screw ups he’d made in public, and god he was so stupid.

“What are you thinking about?” Phil asks, his voice is soft. His eyes are bright and blue and there is a look on his face that Dan doesn’t quite recognise.

Signing, Dan mumbles a reply. “I dunno, everything, I suppose.”

Phil nods, and yeah, Dan knows he gets it. After all the situation is just as fucked up for him as it is for all of them. But at the same time he doesn’t get it. Not to the level Dan does.

Phil moves his arms out, waving the right one towards him. He spreads his legs, making them wide enough for Dan to sit between. “Come here.”

Dan feels a crushing sense as he does so. Everything feels moderately overwhelming.  He moves forward, crawling almost until he is nestled securely between Phil’s arms, their chests touching as they both pull each other close.

He places a small kiss on Dan’s lips, gentle and chaste. One hand rests on the side of Dan’s face, cupping it for a moment.

“We’re going to be okay.” Phil says it with such conviction and warmth as he pulls Dan in that tiny bit closer. And it makes Dan believe him, if only for a small moment.

Then it stumbles across Dan like a dawning. Everything seems to melt away and he knows it. Nothing else seems to matter but Phil. Nothing in the world seems more important than Phil does. Not only right now, but always. He doesn’t care about anything, except that Phil is safe, that Phil is alive.  

“I love you,” Dan whispers. The words flood from his lips as his heart clenches in his chest. It almost burns, the feeling of warmth the spreads through him as he realises the meaning behind those words.

Phil stills for a moment, just a split second before he pulls back and looks into Dan’s eyes. And Dan sees it too, a reflection of his own feelings. He doesn’t even need confirmation as their lips press together, locking together in a similar yet different way all at once. His hands move into black hair, scrunching and threading. Phil moves his hands downwards, resting on Dan hips lightly and heavily at once. They lock onto his side, bawling at the side of his t-shirt.

They pull apart, chests moving heavily, still so close that Dan is can feel the heave against him.

They pull apart for a moment, panting. And Phil smiles at him, bright and vibrant and something Dan feels like he hasn’t seen for a lifetime. Phil gives him another small kiss, hand moving from the other male’s hair and down towards his chest, fingers palming at the edge of the collar.

“If that’s the reaction I knew I was going it get, I would have said it a lot earlier.” Dan replies, his voice teasing and a little out of breath.

Phil laughs, coming out just as breathless as Dan’s previous words. “Said what exactly?”

Dan shakes his head, “you are such a dork.”

Moving his hands in small circles on Dan’s hips, Phil replies. His voice a little bit more serious, “a dork that you love, though.”

“Yeah.” Dan agrees, “that I love a lot, actually.”

Phil grins, like he’s just witnessed the most amazing sight on earth. “Is this the part where I say it back?”

Dan swears his heart actually stops beating and he mumbles a rather unwitty reply laced with affection. “You really are a dork to be asking.”

Phil smiles again, a little different to the one before. Dan watches as Phil eyes rake across Dan’s body, and he practically shivers as he awaits Phil’s reply.

“How about I show you instead?”

His voice is so serious, and it almost, almost makes Dan want to laugh. Dan decides not to answer, instead he lets his lips do the talking. He moves forward, closing the small gap that was between them once again.

Phil lets out a little groan as Dan’s tongue sweeps across his mouth. He complies quickly, Dan’s tongue exploring his mouth. It feels as though there is an extra spark, something that crawls through the ridges of Dan’s every bone. He deepens the kiss, Phil responding by pulling him slightly closer at the hips, as Dan continues to explore, focusing on the warmth and taste and everything Phil.

Dan’s figures stray from Phil’s hair, tugging once more before trailing downwards. He traces his neck, pads of his fingers skimming over pale skin.  He takes his time, hands pressing against fabric before finally reaching the edge of the top. He tucks both hands under, fingers gliding over his soft skin for a moment before gripping the bottom of the shirt, raising it up.

Complying, their kiss stops momentarily, pulling apart for just a moment as Phil lifts his arms up. Dan takes a moment, eyes trailing Phil’s chest before Phil breaks his line of sight. His lips find their way to Dan’s neck, kisses pressing against sensitive flesh.

Dan shivers, and he notices Phil stops, a smile pressing against his skin. Responding, Dan closes his eyes, focusing on the feeling and almost overwhelming sensations. Hands pressing against Phil’s back, he moves them round, stopping only for a moment to run his fingers though his chest hair.

Lips press against Dan’s flesh a little harder, sucking against the flesh hard enough to leave a mark. He feels Phil’s tongue glide against his skins, nipping at the flesh and Dan hips involuntarily buck. A groan passes though both their lips, an overwhelming sensation passing through them both.

Phil pulls back, looking into his eyes once again. It’s overwhelming, his heart feeling too large for his chest, a tingling coursing through his body. And for the first time in a long time he feels safe. Nothing matters except him and Phil, and it fills him with a sense of want and longing and love that he can’t control.

“Phil,” Dan’s voice is a little needy, and Phil picks up on it. He shifts back as Dan pulls away, sinking into the pillows underneath him. Dan grins, climbing a bit closer and straddling the other male’s legs.  

Wasting no time, Dan’s hands undo the button on Phil’s jeans. He pulls them off, Phil lifting himself off the bed as Dan tugs the jeans down. Bitting his lip, Dan grins a bit, moving back to his previous position. Phil replicates Dans earlier process, leaning up a little bit so his hands skim over the smooth tan skin, before sliding the T-shirt over Dan’s head.

He chucks it on the floor, long forgotten amongst the array of other objects in his room. Dan pushes their chests together, skin pressing against skin as their mouths mould back together.  Hands running against exposed flesh.

Phil’s hands reach between them, fumbling with the button unsuccessfully. Dan laughs, warm air pressing against Phil’s lips. The bottom comes undone in Phil’s hands, zipper sliding down on its own accord.

“Need a hand?” Dan grins, and Phil laughs shaking his head.

“Apparently we don’t need any.” Phil responds, eyeing Dan as he hovers over them, mouths close.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dan responds, swiping his hands over the low area on Phil’s hips.

Running his hands along the junction of Dan’s hips, Phil pulls at the rest, until Dans jeans are finally off and they are laying back down, chest to chest on their sides. Phil shuffles, pushing Dan so his back is against the bed. They don’t move more a moment, but then Dan thrust his hips, jerking them against each other. Only one thin layer of clothing between them, Dan becomes hyper aware. He can feel Phil’s dick, and he lets out a groan at the sensation.

Reacting almost instantly, Phil presses his hips back against Dan’s. Phil lips press against Dan’s neck, kissing and nipping as their hips press against each other. Dan moans, Phil’s kisses become more intense, the friction between them increasing as their hips roll together in feverous motion. He sucks at the flesh, nipping and bitting and Dan arches against Phil.

Dan’s hands slide between them, he runs his fingers across Phil’s back, an overwhelming sense of love and passion washing over him. His breath comes out with little moans, Phil matching him. He’s never felt so alive before, but we wants to be closer. He needs to be closer to Phil.

A hand slides between them, pushing at Phil’s chest and it slows down their movements. Dan wastes no time, hand slipping between the top of Phil’s boxers and wrapping around his erection. His hand swivels round the top, spreading the pre-cum before he pumps slowly. Phil moans, head dropping down onto Dan’s neck.

“I want all of you,” Dan announces, and Phil responds with another low moan, hips jerking to meet with the movement.

“I- yeah, god, Dan,” Phil replies, and he places a hand over Dan’s, stilling the motion. It takes a moment, Phil’s breath becoming less laboured before he continues. “I mean, are you sure?”

Dan shifts, so his elbows are by his sides and he is propped up slightly. “Yes, definitely.”

Phil hesitates slightly. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to. But your not- I mean, you’re not just wanting this because of, well, everything?”

Dan’s eyes softens, and he gives Phil a warm smile. “I want to be with you properly. I know it sounds stupid and overly fucking cliché, but we can deal with everything later.  I just want to be with you now.”

Phil smiles, a small laugh seeping though. “You sound like a blockbuster love movie.”

Dare gives Phil a fake glare, whacking him lightly on the arm, but his hand lingers there. “Shut up, talk about ruining the mood.”

Phil’s grin intensifies. “Would this help instead?”

Phil places a palm over Dan’s member, even though the thin layer of clothing causes Dan to let out a shuttered breath.

“Possibly,” Dan breaths, and Phil repeats his previous actions once again.

His fingers move down, gently grazing Dan’s thighs. Phil works his way back up, hands grabbing on to the edge of the material before moving it down.

Dan watches as Phil’s eyes trail over him, his feelings in overload and he swears he can see desire littered amongst those blue orbs. Phil leans down, placing a kiss over Dan’s completely exposed thigh.

“Have you got any lube?” Phil asks, and places another soft kiss.

Dan’s head reels, his mind struggling to keep up. “Second drawer.”

“Really? I thought we were going to have to search your drawers for a jar of Vaseline.” Phil moves a bit higher up this time.

“Present from Chris,” Dan admits, his cheeks reddening at the realisation of even having to mention Chris’ name during his and Phil’s first time. He feels Phil’s lips smile against his skin and the warmness of he’s breath as he laughs. “Literally after you and I first met.”

Pulling away Phil moves to the side, rummaging through the draw until he finds that he’s looking for. “Of course it was.”

Dan lets out a groan, completely unrelated to desire.

It soon changes as Phil pulls of his underwear, moving so he is positioned in between Dan’s legs. Dan looks at him, pale skin so soft and beautiful that it almost takes his breath away.

Responding, Dan moves his legs farther apart, positioning himself on the bed so Phil has better access. Phil runs a hand down his right leg, making its way up and Dan’s heart almost skips a beat in anticipation.

Phil squirts some liquid onto his fingers, covering them. They move slightly hesitantly as they reach Dan’s rim, circling it gently.

“Ready?” Phil asks, and Dan nods, agreeing with a small “yes.”

Hoisting the brunette’s leg up a little higher, Phil pushes a finger in. Dan flinches a little bit. Phil waits a moment, until Dan gives him another small nod, telling Phil to continue.

He moves his finger around slowly, attempting to cause Dan as little discomfort as possible. It doesn’t take too long before Phil adds a second digit, stretching him a bit more. Dan’s breath shutters as he lets out a gasp; Phil’s finger grazes his spot, a jolt of electricity spreading though his body.

Phil grins, catching on and hitting it again. Dan squirms, the pleasure quickly erasing the slight burn he was previously feeling.

It’s not long before Phil adds a third finger. Dan craves the feeling, his senses heightened. His toes curling into the bed spread as he rocks his hips into Phil’s hand. Phil’s hand grips Dan’s cock, giving it a few pumps and Dan all but whimpers at the sensation.

“Phil,” he moans, voice slightly high pitched. Phil gets the message, removing his hand a pulling his fingers out. He coats himself with lube, eyes closing a little bit at the feeling.

Phil looks back down at Dan, whose cheeks are flustered. He leans down, giving him a kiss before pulling back up. “Alright?”

“God, Phil, hurry up.”

Happily complying, Phil lines himself up, tip resting against Dan’s hole. He pushes in slowly, the tightness and warmth slightly overwhelming. Dan wraps his arms around Phil, clasping his legs around the other male as he enters fully. He jerks his hips up as Phil meets him, before groaning as Phil quickly pulls out, before slamming right back in.

A chores of groans fill the air. Phil moves his hands, anchoring them beside Dan’s head for leverage. He repeats his previous action quicker, pace picking up as he jerks his hips against Dan’s.  Phil moves his head, mouth pressing against Dan’s for a messy kiss. Their mouths move together, breaking apart to gasp for air before pressing back against each other.

“Fuck!” Dan swears as Phil manages to hit his spot. Phil thrusts his hips again, moving them in the same direction and Dan lets out a second swear, closely followed by another groan. He continues, moving against the spot until Dan is almost screaming under him.

Dan’s breath is laboured, coming out so short and sharp that he is unable to continue to kiss. He reaches a hand between him, clasping it around his dick and pumping quickly. It only takes a few strokes, the pressure building in his stomach to the point where it is almost unbearable.

Phil moves his head, dropping down to Dan’s neck and resting just above his ear. His thrusts fast, erratic and almost sloppy. He leans closer, lips grazing Dan’s ear before he whispers the words. “I love you.”

Dan clenches around Phil, the pleasure all too much as he comes. His body feels warm, it spreads around inside him; his toes tingling as he opens his mouth in a silent moan. The world goes black for a moment, and he can vaguely feel Phil thrusting into him. The bed moves, hitting against the wall and causing it to creak as Phil gives a final thrust.

He collapses into Dan, panting heavily against the side of his neck.

It takes a few moments for Dan to regain his thoughts, he shifts, hands moving to wrap themselves into Phil’s hair, which is riddled with sweat from their previous actions. He feels Phil press a small kiss against his neck, humming slightly and Dan feels as though he could almost explode from happiness.

“Wow,” is the most intelligent term that Dan can come up with when he is finally able to speak.

Phil chuckles against his neck, turning his head to the side so he can look at Dan’s face.

“That good?”

Dan nods, a hand moving from Phil’s hair to run up and down the back of the other males spine. “Mmm-hmm,” he says, before adding after a moment, “not that I have anything to compare it to.”

“Way to kill the after-glow.” Phil announces, and Dan somehow musters the energy to jab him in the side.

Phil lets out a small noise, turning so he is curled against Dan some more.

“Can we say it’d safe to assume we are never telling Chris about using his present?” Phil questions after a moment.

“Wow, and you say I killed the mood.”

Phil nudges him, and when Dan looks over, he can only see fondness and love and admiration.

But he clarifies. “Definitely don’t tell Chris.”

“And, uh, Dan?” Phil asks, and Dan notices that his not actually looking up at himself, but off towards the corner. “Are you aware that every book you currently own has fallen to the floor?”

Dan follows his line of sight, books completely dropped from the selves in every possible direction. His chair has fallen over and if he’s not mistaken, so has his laundry basket. He almost groans, this is not the first time he has lost control of his powers around Phil. “We’re not telling him about their either.”

Phil laughs so hard he almost cries. 

-

Next chapter 

[sin-n-city]

Bits and Pieces

Ethereal Chapter Twenty Four: Bits and Pieces

Pairing: Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings: Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 2,229

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue, previous chapter and masterpost

Notes:  Oh hi there. Look, i’m still alive! I’m sorry this chapter took a long time, but it was important I get it right :) So I hope it was worth the wait. Also, obviously this is not still the weekend, but I had to wait for it to get edited. Otherwise we would all be suffering aha. 

(P.S I am sorry in advance again). I keep not intentionally ending it the same way. 

Enjoy!

-

Dan’s never moved so fast in his life. His heart is pounding in his chest and his breathing is erratic, mixing between deep and shallow and all he knows is that he has to keep moving, he has to keep going.

PJ is in front of him, practically jogging the familiar pathway, and everything seems like a blur, a single target in mind, because once he sees it, he’ll know for certain.

He doesn’t know how long it takes him, but suddenly they are there. And Dan jerks to a sudden stop, almost colliding into PJ as the other male also comes to an abrupt halt.

Dan’s eyes widen, trailing over the familiar figure before him, breath caught in his throat.

“Miss me?”

Chris’ voice is as cocky as ever, but Dan can hear the undertone of so much more. It’s a little croaky, and Dan has a million guesses as to why. But he knows Chris, knows his best friend and he’s sure it has everything to do with being able to see them again.

Chris pushes himself up, moving from his previous sitting position at the base of PJ’s house steps and stands upwards.

Dan doesn’t blink, he doesn’t move and neither does anyone for a good moment. There should be relief, but he is too filled with shock to even process any other emotion. His eyes trace over Chris’ face, as though he is unable to process it fully. His eyes are drawn to a particular spot, and once they find it, he can’t drag his eyes away.

A nasty set of yellow and blue bruising is on the right-hand side of his temple, large and painful. Dan lets out an uneven breath, like the air somehow managed to escape from his lungs without him wanting it to. The pathway flashes into his mind, the burnt charred parts of the pavement, and the situations which must have happened during that moment that managed to cause such a nasty bruise on his head.  

Chris opens his mouth, as though he is going to say something again. He doesn’t have time to however, because PJ takes one large step forward and pauses before he all but runs up to Chris and pulls him into his arms.

It doesn’t take long before Chris’ face is buried in PJ’s chest, and there are unshed tears in both of their eyes. And as much as Dan wants to go over and pull his best friend into a well-deserved hug and make some smart ass rhetorical mark, he can’t bring himself to ruin their moment.

Instead, he takes Phil’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

His heart almost melts as Phil squeezes back.

-

The air seems crisper and cooler as they enter PJ’s house. Like the adrenalin and shock factor has completely left Dan’s body.  He feels a bit drained, like he hadn’t just woken up half an hour ago. Like he’s just worked a full day and wants nothing more than to collapse into his bed in exhaustion.

There is another part of him though, one that’s torn and mixed between relief and worry. The air is still rather tense. Despite the fact that Chris is back within reach. They are almost treading on egg shells, wanting to bring it up and avoid the topic all at once.

They make their way into the lounge, and Chris is the first to find a seat. Putting himself on the far right-hand side of the sofa, he picks himself up, legs against his chest. And that’s the first sort of warning sign that appears in Dan’s head. The fact that normally Chris is more than willing to sprawl out, have his legs dangle off the end of the couch and hog as much room as possible.

Everyone makes their way back down, and it’s quiet, which has been a far too frequent occurrence lately.

PJ plants himself next to Chris, close but not extremely close either. Just enough to provide comfort and warmth and far enough to give Chris the space that everyone is sure he needs.

Dan follows in suit, sitting on the couch opposite the coffee table in the middle, providing a gap between the couches.

“I’ve never had anyone hang on my words as much as you are all doing right now,” Chris laughs but somehow it doesn’t fix the tension in that air. His humour falls on pairs of deaf ears, but Dan tries to chuck him a small smile momentarily.

“Yeah well, I suppose you always liked to cause a commotion.” Dan responds with, and he notices Chris relax a little, like the pressure somehow shifted for a second.

There is another small silence, before Chris decides to jump right in. “They didn’t do anything. I mean, not really.”

It’s like a sign of relief and a sharp stab all at once as the words leave Chris’ mouth.

Then everyone speaks at the same time, questions being asked simultaneously.

“What do you mean they?” Phil asks, his eyes a little wide. PJ’s question is just as concerning but more of an echo. “Not really?”

Chris looks a little bit like a deer caught in headlights, but if Dan’s being honest, he is pretty sure they all reflect the same expression. Questions are stuck on the edge of his tongue.

“That guy, the one that keeps messing with Dan. He’s not exactly the same as we thought. Although, I mean, he still kind of is. But I’m pretty sure his abilities are a little different to what we first assumed. And he’s well…I don’t want to use the word leader, because that’s really fucking cliché. But there was a few of them in this small group and I’m pretty sure he runs it.”

Chris pauses, allowing everyone to try and take in the information before he continues. A million more questions run though Dan’s head. Panic and alarm are going off everywhere. He’s pretty sure his eyes are now worse than Phil’s were, wide and in some state of disbelief.

“Leader? Leader of what?” PJ asks, and yeah, Dan’s pretty sure that’s the most pressing question of them all right now.

Ignoring the next round of questions, Chris continues. “When I was making my way back from my house to PJ’s they kind of appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t take any notice at first, because it wasn’t the guy that Dan had been describing. It was a girl and a guy, they looked to be fairly young too. Maybe nineteen or twenty. Just a bit older then us I think. But they caught up to me, and I realised something was up. I dunno, something wasn’t sitting right, so I tried to bolt. Only, I hit this sort of invisible wall.”

Dan gulps, a small breath involuntarily leaving.

“And as I turned around the other guy was there too. I tried to get them, make a heap of flames before they could get to me. But as I did that everything went a little hazy, I was panicking, because there were three of them and only one of me. I don’t- I don’t really remember what else happened. But when I woke up I head a massive headache and this ridiculous bruise.”

Chris starts fidgeting with something in his pocket. All eyes follow his movements, and then he pulls out a slightly crumpled piece of paper, that looks like it has been folded over again too many times. Dan can picture the situation unfolding. Chris crumpling onto the ground before he gets a real chance to defend himself. Head banging against the concrete, but not enough to leave any blood.

“What’s that?” Phil asks, and Chris grimaces.

“I think it’s an invitation.”

Dan blinks, and everyone seems a little lost for words.

“A what?” Dan all but splutters.

Chris unfolds it, placing it on the coffee table before them. The moment he puts it down, PJ picks it up, reading it over quickly, his face turning into a frown as his eyes read down the page.

“He’s right,” PJ mumbles and both Phil and Dan’s face morph into confusion.

“An invitation to what?”

“An invitation to join them.”

A stunned stillness settles upon them. All that can be heard is the deep breaths of everyone in the room. It takes Dan more than a moment to soak up the information.”

“I don’t, I just. What.”

Chris shakes his head. “I didn’t get to talk to them, I mean not really. It was weird…I mean I think I remember that guy speaking, but like in my dream. I don’t really remember what happened. When I woke up I was alone in an empty apartment on the other side of town. It was really fucking weird. I was so freaked out I just left as quickly as I could. When I arrived at PJ’s I realised that you weren’t here. And I still had my phone in my pocket so I rang, and well, this led us to the shit storm that we are in.”

Dan urges for more information. None of this really makes any sense. “Why did they take you? What does that prove? Why can’t they just fucking talk to us instead of screwing with our minds and kidnapping someone?”

Phil shifts in his seat uncomfortably.

“I don’t, I mean, it’s only a theory,” PJ pipes up, his eyes still locked on the letter. “But I think that either is a test, or, it’s a point.”

That doesn’t sit well with anyone.

“If Chris can’t defend himself, what hope do the rest of us have? Or our families? They have nothing to defend themselves with either.”  

Dan almost falls off his seat, a sudden shock rippling through his body. His family never really crossed his mind until now. But it’s right there. There are four separate reasons in this room for everyone to be afraid.

“They, I mean, they could have done that by now though, right?”  Phil mumbles, and Dan bites his lip as PJ responds.

“Maybe, I mean. I don’t know. It would have been easy, but I sort of feel like that would give the wrong impression.”

“The wrath of four fucking teenage boys with superpowers knocking at their doorstep would give a wrong sort of impression,” Chris comments. And Dan takes a deep breath, the thought had been the furthest from his mind.

“So what, they don’t want to fight?” Dan asks, “is that what you are saying?”

Chris shrugs. “I mean, maybe. They had plenty of chances. If they wanted to take us out they could have probably done it before we even knew they existed. They could have left me on the side walk and finished me off without a second thought.”

The words don’t sit quite right with Dan. But it’s also true. They had plenty of opportunities, why not take them? Why mess around with him? Why leave a note for Chris and everyone else?

“Yeah well, if they wanted to talk, this isn’t exactly the best way to go about it,” Dan mutters.

“A-fucking-men,” Chris agrees, his head flopping backwards and resting on the back of the couch. PJ gives him a sympathetic look, and places a hand on his thigh.

“So, that still leaves the same question.” Phil states and Dan inwardly shudders. He knows exactly what Phil is going to ask, and Dan isn’t sure he is going to like the answer. “Are we going to go?”

The words linger heavily in the air. Chris’ head shooting back up much quicker than he had laid it to rest.

“Do we really have a choice?” PJ says his voice low and almost in a whisper. Like he doesn’t want to say them out loud, but has no other choice.

“Sure we do.” Chris laughs. “We go, and we face whatever fucked up cultist thing they are going to try to convince us to join, or we don’t go, and suffer whatever consequences that they deem appropriate.”

Dan wants to say that it might not be true. That they might have all just gotten on the wrong foot and this is a good chance to talk to them. Maybe they have more answers surrounding their powers. This is the first time they have met anyone other than their group with abilities. It could be a good chance.

Except deep down, he knows that it’s not.

“How long do we have to decide?” Phil asks.

PJ looks back down at the piece of paper. “About three days.”

And just like that, Dan knows that these three days will probably be the most important of his entire life.

-

Next chapter 

[sin-n-city]

Ethereal Masterlist

Ethereal: Angst/ fluff/ supernatural abilities/ high school AU | 72k + | AU- Superpowers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he has never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire eyes change everything. | Dan Howell/ Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall | Complete

Prologue | Chapter 1| Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23  | Chapter 24  |  Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 |  Epilogue

[sin-n-city]

Shatter

Ethereal Chapter Twenty Three: Shatter

Pairing:Dan Howell/ Phil Lester and PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall

Rating:M

Warnings:Swearing and eventual fluff/smutt

Length: 2,229

Summary: AU- Super powers. Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire blue eyes change everything. Dan Howell/Phil Lester, PJ Liguori/ Chris Kendall.

Link to prologue and previous chapter

Notes: Sorry this chapter has taken so long. But it is finally here! Although I promise nothing. Also, I’m going to try change my schedule/ kind of kill it. I’m back at uni, and Wednesdays are my long ass days, so I’m going to be uploading on weekends now. But I can’t promise it will be every weekend. But I will try :)

Also we only have a few (maybe five/six?? I still have to completely plan it out) chapters left. Holy crap. 

Please enjoy that chapter. And don’t kill me. Because an author can not finish their story if they are dead C: 

-

Time seems to freeze. Dan feels hot and cold all at once, coursing through his body as his heart rate picks up speed. Denial rushes upwards, just as quickly as the sick feeling in his stomach. He can’t believe what PJ had just said. But thewords refuse to leave, haunting him. He wants to crumble to the floor and scream all at the same time. His best friend has been taken. 

None of them move. A silence filling the space, and it’s almost as though no one can breathe. PJ looks pale, almost sickly. And Dan can see his eye watering, hands clenching at his side tightly. He can’t even begin to imagine the thoughts that are running through his head. Chris was Dan’s best friends, but he was so much more to PJ.

Phil’s the first to speak up, his voice slightly shaky and timid, as though speaking will shatter everyone in the room. "Maybe he got away too. I mean - I did. We don't...we don't know for sure."

There is a small glimmer of hope that sparks in Dan as he hears his words. But it’s diluted, shaken and it dissipates as soon as the words fully process. There is practically a zero chance, there isn’t another reason as to why Chris wouldn’t have come back.

PJ doesn’t say anything, and Dan doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to console or comfort his best friend, when he is falling apart himself. "We have to find him." PJ says, and although his voice sounds lost and broken, there is determination. 

"Okay." Dan replies, and he takes one step forward, grabbing his coat from the aide and shoving it on. "We'll search some streets and re-trace his steps. We know the route from his house to yours. And we...we'll find out. We'll find him. Peej, I promise."

PJ refuses to look, just nodding his head and making his way back out the door. Dan can’t blame him. The small voice whispers in his head. Because that’s a lie. He can’t promise something like that. Not when there's a chance that he won’t be able to fulfill that promise. Not when there is a chance that they won’t be able to find Chris.

-

It’s starting to get dark. Dan’s fingers are tingling a little from the cold. It only processes for a moment though, before determination out plays any other feeling. He wants nothing more than to spot that familiar mop of brown hair and matching eyes. He wants to be able to throw a thousand insults at Chris and wack him senseless for causing so much worry. He wants it to be some sick twisted joke that his best friend played on him. But he knows. He knows that Chris would never do that. 

But a small part of him still hopes. 

"Dan?" Phil’s voice rings out. The black haired male stops on his tracks. Right behind PJ, who seems to be frozen on the spot. He takes two more steps forward. His mind reeling and he's unable to process his exact emotions for a short moment. 

He peers down, his eyes following the point that everyone else is pin pointed to. "Is that...?" Phil is unable to finish his sentence, and Dan can see his Adams apple move as he gulps.

The black marks are charred into the ground. Singed and wide spread in a big circle along the pavement. It spreads out, almost as though it skidded along the ground. Staining the concrete with its intense heat. There are a few smaller ones, wide spread, and almost littered, like they spanned out and littered the ground.

Dan can feel himself crack. His bubble of denial suddenly shattered.  There is no mistaking it. No other possible way that those burn marks could have suddenly appeared in the pavement in perfect symmetry. 

No other way, except for Chris.

And he knows. 

That Chris, has really been taken. 

He watches in slow motion as PJ sinks to his knees, flopping against the floor. He stares at the marks in front of him. One hand hovering for a moment before it drops to the other side of his body. 

It takes less than a second before Dan is at his side, arms reaching out and pulling him into a hug. He pulls him close, arms gripping him tighter than ever before. Waiting for the gates to open and the sobs to come. 

PJ stays silent. Arms draped by his side.

And for a split second, Dan feels like his friend just died on the inside. 

-

PJ doesn’t say anything for the remainder of the night, he lets himself into Dan’s guest bedroom, before allowing the covers to swallow him whole. 

Dan waits by the door, only leaving when Phil gives tugs at his hand. 

He sits on his bed, thoughts hollow and numbness surrounding his entire body. He doesn’t know how to feel. It’s like the information is there, stuck on a loop and unable to process. They don’t know where to start, or what to do. How to find Chris. 

There is a tiny voice in the back of his mind that whispers. And he refuses to acknowledge it. 

"Phil?" Dan questions, his voice almost a whisper. And the other male is by his side instantly. Wrapping a hand around his waist and pulling him closely. Dan doesn’t hesitate, his head finding a place in the crook of his neck. Clenching opposite sides of Phil's top for dear life. 

Dan's not even aware he’s crying at first. The water falls out of his eyes, dampening Phil’s t-shirt. He lets out a strangled sob, chocked and muffled. That’s all it takes, realisation washing over him as quickly as his tears. 

Phil pulls him closer, his whole body shifting until his arms are sufficiently wrapped tightly around the younger males body. Dan shakes, trembling and it's like Phil can never be closer enough. He pushes against him, almost impossibly close, and he wishes that Phil could just swallow him whole.

His breathing is hitched, coming out in a mix of wheezes and sobs. The air feels crushing, like he has too much and not enough all at once. 

He can vaguely hear Phil whispering words of comfort. But nothing works, it’s like an echo or distant memory. Unable to fully process. And so he grips tighter. Holding on for dear life, as though Phil is the only one that can save him from drowning. 

The last thing he remembers before he falls into a restless sleep, is the shaking of Phil’s shoulders.  -

The next day is no better, and although Dan would normally revel in the fact that he’s able to wake up in Phil’s arm, the shaky feeling of loss and worry is the first thing he feels when he wakes up.

“Phil?” He mumbles, nudging him slightly. Phil moves, his blue eyes opening and trying to focus without his glasses. “We’ve got to get up. I’ll go check on PJ.”

Phil frowns more a moment, sleep still fogging his memory. But his eyes go wide and he nods, suddenly remembering the previous day’s events and all the horror it had in store. He detaches himself from Dan, pulling himself up and rummaging through Dan’s wardrobe to borrow some clothes.

Dan wastes no time, walking over to the spare bedroom rather hastily.

He opens the door cautiously, his sudden rush ending. He doesn’t know what to expect. What state his other best friend could be in. “Peej?” Dan questions, peeking around into the room rather cautiously.

PJ doesn’t respond. His eyes are littered with black bags, the first indication of lack of sleep. He sits up right on the bed, his back not quite touching the wall but close enough that if he leaned back it would. He glances up at Dan, his gaze glassy and Dan can feel it. The sense of brokenness and longing practically radiates off him.

“We’re going back out to find Chris.”

The fact that it’s technically a school day doesn’t even phase them. Not when their best friend is missing. Not when they don’t know what happened to him. A thought that Dan refuses to put much thought into.

“I’ve tried to sense him, but I can’t.” PJ mumbles, his voice soft and low, almost shallow and broken. Dan doesn’t even need to guess that he stayed up the whole night crying. The bloodshot look in PJ’s eyes is more than enough indication.

“I tried to find his aura, sense it, see it but, it’s nowhere around here, Dan, what if-“

Dan cuts him off before he even has time to finish, quickly scrambling towards the bed and sitting opposite his friend.

“We’ll look elsewhere,” he consoles, “we’ll find him, Peej. You know what Chris’ aura is like, and that mark the other guys leaves, we’ll find him, okay?”

He questions it, for a moment. Exactly what PJ meant when he said he’d searched for his aura. Sure, he could sense them, feel them and see them, but usually he needed to be looking at the person for that to occur. He pushes the thought away, much like the countless other he has had to within the past 24 hours. They are wasting time.

“Get dressed, we’ll leave in five.”

By the time Dan makes his way back to his room, Phil is dressed and ready. Looking more alert and awake then he has ever been at such an hour in the morning.

“Is he okay?” Phil asks, and it’s a pointless question. They both know that everyone is far from that right now. In all honesty, none of them are even remotely close.

He shakes his head instead of responding. Digging though his draws to find a clean T-shirt and replacing his Pyjama top with it.

“I’ll go see if PJ is ready.” Phil says, and he wanders out, leaving Dan to try and pointedly ignore the impending sense of terror that keeps threatening to overcome his emotions.  

He gets dressed at some sort of lightning speed, shoving different pants on and not even changing his boxers, because he has far more important things to do right now.  He hears the others wander past his room and towards the front door, and Dan is down the steps quicker than he has ever been at such an early hour in the morning.

Phil and PJ are waiting by the door, and he can tell by his friends sagged shoulders and Phil’s slight fidgeting from foot to foot that they are both nervous. Their looks match in angst and worry, although Dan knows that it must be taking a lot of effort for PJ to hold back his emotions. Without the level of control he’s providing, Dan thinks he’d be on the floor in hysterics.

“Where first?”

Phil asks the question, and sudden silence surrounds them.

Dan grimaces, he didn’t think this far ahead. His thought process only involved find Chris at all costs that he didn’t even have time to realise that they have no clues and literally no-where to look.

“Uh,” me mumbles, and looks around. “I don’t...maybe we should go back to where…where the marks were?”

Where Chris was taken. He can’t say that. No, it’s admitting something that he doesn’t want to be real. And he knows, hearing those words being said again would shatter the remaining hope PJ is clinging too.

“Yeah,” Phil agrees, and Dan knows it’s only be they all have no clue. PJ nods, remaining rather impassive.

Setting out the door and into the cold, Phil braces himself, looking behind him to check as PJ and Dan both follow. Dan does the same, the cold eating at them quickly. It’s not rain, but knowing their luck it will. And it will make everything just that much harder. As though it wasn’t already hard enough.

They walk down the pathway, in a similar fashion to the other day. Dan makes a barrier, a mental note to prepare himself. Maybe going there isn’t the best idea. Not when everything is so fresh and raw and unknown.

The back of Phil’s hand brushes against his momentarily. Dan knows he isn’t in this alone. That the fear is real among all of them. The fact that they have nothing to go off clings in all their minds. How long can this be kept under the rug?

If they don’t find Chris, what are they going to do? What are his parents going to do, when they realised they lied to them? That Chris didn’t stay the night. Dan almost forgets how to breathe. Fear threatening to overtake him.

They are almost there, and each step is quick, yet it seems like it takes all of eternity. Slow and fast at the same time, completely impossibly so.

The chime of a phone rings, shill and loud and pulling down out of his thoughts.

He looks over at PJ, who eyes are wide as he stares down at the phone. His grips the phone, so tightly that is knuckles turn white, and after a moment of blinking uncertainly, presses the answer button quicker than ever before and he all but whispers in disbelief.

“Chris?”

And this time, Dan really doesn’t think he remembers how to breathe.

-

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